Rating:  - Kindle edition not a good buy
Like many reviewers I find the the Core Java series to be very valuable. However, be forewarned that the kindle edition is not a good representation of the book. The figures are completely useless either because they have not taken the time to convert them properly or because the kindle technology is simply incapable of displaying non-text content properly. I wish I had known this before I paid for the kindle edition of this book.
Rating:  - Best Java book out there
The Core Java (vol 1 and 2) are simply superb books. If you are a developer looking for thorough books on this subject, look no further.
Rating: - Outstanding programming resource, and a massive one.
In my review of Professional Java JDK 6 Edition, I said I didn't think one book could cover such a wide variety of topics and expect to do a good job overall. This volume is, I think, an exception that proves the rule.
It is indeed a monster book, easily several months of steady work to get through, and an useful reference afterwards as well. It is well put together, clearly written, methodically presented. I wouldn't put it down if that were possible. The coverage is broad and the examples are interesting. The topics also feel complete, not because they are thorough, but because they leave off right where intermediate-level programmers could work out most details on their own.
I read the first and second editions years ago, and I must say this title has become a case study in steady, disciplined, tireless improvement and refinement of the original. It's 990 pages, but I haven't come across a useless sentence yet. The authors haven't just added on. They've refined their examples, improved and replaced others. Most importantly, they've realized a format that puts boilerplate and API tables to the side, allowing the reader to focus on the concept at hand. Complete code listings are in the text, presented in a way that makes it easy to gloss them in favor of the soft copy available by download.
If you need lots and lots of code work on different topics to burn Java into your fingertips -- and there really is no other way to do it -- this book is an excellent choice.
Rating: - The high quality I've come to expect from the Core Java series
Updated for Java 6, "Core Java Advanced Features" does not disappoint. This is for those of you who have finished volume 1, either this 8th edition or the 7th edition. Quite frankly, I think in the case of Volume 1 you can skate by with the older 7th edition. However, in the case of the eighth edition of Volume 2, there is quite a bit of expanded coverage to the tune of the resulting book being over 1000 pages in length. It follows the same format as past versions of Core Java Advanced Features. The authors start at the beginning of each topic and walk you through increasingly difficult programs and very well done illustrations and screen shots of applications that are really quite helpful. I include the table of contents since it currently is not included in the product description.
1. Streams and Files
2. XML
3. Networking
4. Database Programming
5. Internationalization
6. Advanced Swing
7. Advanced AWT
8. Javabeans Components
9. Security
10. Distributed Objects
11. Scripting, Compiling, and Annotation Processing
12. Native Methods
Before you go out and buy expensive books on the topics in any one of these chapters, get this book and read the corresponding chapter. It will make whatever you hear or read from that point forward much clearer.
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