Best Java Books 2024

Head First Java: A Brain-Friendly Guide (3rd Edition)

Head First Java by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates and Trisha Gee. Head First Java is a complete learning experience in Java and object-oriented programming. With this book, you’ll learn the Java language with a unique method that goes beyond how-to manuals and helps you become a great programmer. Through puzzles, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects, you’ll quickly get up to speed on Java’s fundamentals and advanced topics including lambdas, streams, generics, threading, networking, and the dreaded desktop GUI.

If you have experience with another programming language, Head First Java will engage your brain with more modern approaches to coding–the sleeker, faster, and easier to read, write, and maintain Java of today. If you’ve read a Head First book, you know what to expect–a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. This is the best Java book for beginners in 2023.

Core Java: Fundamentals, Volume 1 12th Edition

by Cay Horstmann is the definitive guide to writing robust, maintainable code. Whatever version of Java you are using—up to and including Java 17—this book will help you achieve a deep and practical understanding of the language and APIs. With hundreds of realistic examples, Cay S. Horstmann reveals the most powerful and effective ways to get the job done.

This book is written for readers with prior programming experience who are looking for in-depth coverage of the Java language and platform. You’ll learn about all language features in detail, including the recent improvements in Java 17. The applied chapters and code examples cover the most up-to-date capabilities of the vast Java library. For 25 years, Core Java has prepared serious programmers for serious Java programming.

This first of two volumes offers in-depth coverage of fundamental Java programming, including object-oriented programming, generics, collections, lambda expressions, concurrency, and functional programming. Classic material for Swing UI programming is included for those who need it. This edition’s new content covers text blocks, switch enhancements, records, pattern matching for instanceof, sealed classes, and more.

Master foundational techniques, idioms, and best practices for writing superior Java code
Leverage the power of interfaces, lambda expressions, and inner classes
Harden programs through effective exception handling and debugging
Write safer, more reusable code with generic programming
Improve performance and efficiency with Java’s standard collections
Explore simple programs with JShell and assemble complex programs with archives and modules
Build cross-platform GUIs with the Swing toolkit
Fully utilize multicore processors with Java’s powerful concurrency model

Effective Java (3rd Edition)

The definitive guide to Java programming language best practices from Josh Bloch. Each chapter of Effective Java, Third Edition, consists of several “items,” each presented in the form of a short, stand-alone essay that provides specific advice, insight into Java platform subtleties, and code examples. The comprehensive descriptions and explanations for each item illuminate what to do, what not to do, and why. While coverage is through Java 9, this guidance covers core Java features every programmer works with, regardless of which version.

Concurrency: write clear, correct, well-documented concurrent programs
Objects: creating and destroying; common methods
Classes and interfaces: guidelines for making them usable, robust, and flexible
Generics: tell the compiler what types of objects are permitted in each collection for safer and clearer programs
Enums and annotations: two special-purpose families of reference types
Functions: break a big job into smaller pieces that might well be written by different people separated by both time and space.
Lambdas and streams: create function objects with more ease
Method designs: treat parameters and return values; design method signatures; document methods
Exceptions: improve a program’s readability, reliability, and maintainability
Object serialization: the dangers of serialization and how to minimize them
General programming:
local variables
control structures
libraries
data types
reflection
native methods
optimization
naming conventions

Programmers still consider this the best book on Java programming today.

Think Java: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist

Think Java is a hands-on introduction to computer science and programming used by many universities and high schools around the world. Its conciseness, emphasis on vocabulary, and informal tone make it particularly appealing for readers with little or no experience. The book starts with the most basic programming concepts and gradually works its way to advanced object-oriented techniques.

In this fully updated and expanded edition, authors Allen Downey and Chris Mayfield introduce programming as a means for solving interesting problems. Each chapter presents material for one week of a college course and includes exercises to help you practice what you’ve learned. Along the way, you’ll see nearly every topic required for the AP Computer Science A exam and Java SE Programmer I certification.

Discover one concept at a time: tackle complex topics in a series of small steps with multiple examples
Understand how to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and develop, test, and debug programs
Learn about input and output, decisions and loops, classes and methods, strings and arrays, recursion and polymorphism
Determine which program development methods work best for you, and practice the important skill of debugging

This is one of the best Java books in 2023.

Modern Java in Action: Lambdas, streams, functional and reactive programming

Manning’s bestselling Java 8 book has been revised for Java 9! In Modern Java in Action, you’ll build on your existing Java language skills with the newest features and techniques. Modern applications take advantage of innovative designs, including microservices, reactive architectures, and streaming data. Modern Java features like lambdas, streams, and the long-awaited Java Module System make implementing these designs significantly easier. It’s time to upgrade your skills and meet these challenges head on!

This best book to learn java connects new features of the Java language with their practical applications. Using crystal-clear examples and careful attention to detail, this book respects your time. It will help you expand your existing knowledge of core Java as you master modern additions like the Streams API and the Java Module System, explore new approaches to concurrency, and learn how functional concepts can help you write code that’s easier to read and maintain.

What’s inside

Thoroughly revised edition of Manning’s bestselling Java 8 in Action
New features in Java 8, Java 9, and beyond
Streaming data and reactive programming
The Java Module System

Java Concurrency in Practice

by Brian Goetz, Tim Peierls, Joshua Bloch, Joseph Bowbeer, David Holmes and Doug Lea. Threads are a fundamental part of the Java platform. As multicore processors become the norm, using concurrency effectively becomes essential for building high-performance applications. Java SE 5 and 6 are a huge step forward for the development of concurrent applications, with improvements to the Java Virtual Machine to support high-performance, highly scalable concurrent classes and a rich set of new concurrency building blocks. In best advanced java books, the creators of these new facilities explain not only how they work and how to use them, but also the motivation and design patterns behind them.

However, developing, testing, and debugging multithreaded programs can still be very difficult; it is all too easy to create concurrent programs that appear to work, but fail when it matters most: in production, under heavy load. Java Concurrency in Practice arms readers with both the theoretical underpinnings and concrete techniques for building reliable, scalable, maintainable concurrent applications. Rather than simply offering an inventory of concurrency APIs and mechanisms, it provides design rules, patterns, and mental models that make it easier to build concurrent programs that are both correct and performant.

This book covers:

Basic concepts of concurrency and thread safety
Techniques for building and composing thread-safe classes
Using the concurrency building blocks in java.util.concurrent
Performance optimization dos and don’ts
Testing concurrent programs
Advanced topics such as atomic variables, nonblocking algorithms, and the Java Memory Model

Thinking in Java (4th Edition)

by Bruce Eckel has won accolades from programmers around the world for its extraordinary clarity, neat organization, and small examples of simple programming. From the basics of Java syntax to its more advanced features with this best java programming books.

Java: The Complete Reference, Twelfth Edition (Complete Reference Series)

by Herbert Schildt covers entire Java language is covered in this book starting from data types and going all the way to servlets and much more. Fundamental programming practices are also taught in this book to make sure you have a solid understanding of how Java programming works. The best java books for intermediate is packed with easy to understand examples that will show you how to work with Java. Java: The Complete Reference is a book every aspiring Java developer can consult whenever faced with a problem. This is probably the best Java reference book in 2023.

Murach’s Beginning Java with Eclipse

by by Joel Murach, Michael C Urban. Beginner to professional in Java in no time at all. It starts from the very core concepts of Java and teaches you everything you need to write complete programs in Java.  It goes from the basics all the way to advanced concepts. The book is split into multiple sections that increase in difficulty and build upon the previous sections. Every chapter has exercises that will get your hands wet in writing Java code. Packed with sample applications. Murach’s Beginning Java with Eclipse is a great book for beginners to Java and even programming in general. This book explains how to get started with Java. You will use Eclipse to write your code. This is Java book is a classic.

Java From Zero: Learn Java Programming Fast for Beginners to Professionals: The Complete Guide With Code Examples and Exercises to Become a Professional

Discover how to become a six-figure developer without going back to school. Are you thinking of transitioning into a career as a software developer? Have you always been interested in programming languages and tinkering with technology? Do you wish there was a straightforward way to gain all the skills and knowledge you need to write your own programs?

If you’re looking to make a living as a Java programmer, you need the best books to learn java. According to HackerRank, Java is now the third most in-demand language that hiring managers look for. And with US Java developers now earning upwards of $105,000 on average, based on data from Indeed… You can rest assured that learning Java will pay off in more ways than one. But for many, the problem is knowing where to start. In this book, you will discover:

Places to start looking for jobs as a Java developer, even if you don’t have a degree in computer science
How global brands like Netflix and Amazon rely on Java for their ongoing success
How to keep your application code from falling into the wrong hands — avoid these common security vulnerabilities
Why you should leave comments in your code, and how to do it without being a nuisance
The difference between errors and exceptions, and how to fix them the moment they show up
Different exercises to help you apply and understand all the basics of Java
Checklist you can use to fast-track your progress toward becoming a Java whiz
How to make your apps more user-friendly by creating Graphical User Interfaces
Advanced performance tuning techniques that experts use to optimize Java programs

Java: Learn Java in One Day and Learn It Well. Java for Beginners with Hands-on Project.

by Jamie Chan.

Complex concepts are broken down into simple steps to ensure that you can easily master the Java language even if you have never coded before.
Carefully Chosen Java Examples
Examples are carefully chosen to illustrate all concepts. In addition, the output for all examples are provided immediately so you do not have to wait till you have access to your computer to test the examples.
Careful selection of topics
Topics are carefully selected to give you a broad exposure to Java, while not overwhelming you with information overload. These topics include object-oriented programming concepts, error handling techniques, file handling techniques and more. In addition, new features in Java (such as lambda expressions and default methods etc) are also covered so that you are always up to date with the latest advancement in the Java language.

Java All-in-One For Dummies

With Java All-in-One For Dummies, you get 8 books in one, for the most well-rounded Java knowledge on the market. Updated for Java 19, this book includes all the major changes to the programming language, so you won’t fall behind. Start by learning the basics of Java―you can do it, even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life. Then go in-depth, with all the info you need on object-oriented programming, Java FX, Java web development, and beyond. Grab a hot cup of java and settle in to learn some Java, with friendly For Dummies guidance. This is the go-to Dummies guide for future and current coders who need an all-inclusive guide Java to take their knowledge to the next level.