Effective Java — Joshua Bloch, Pearson Addison-Wesley 2018 (3rd ed.), ISBN 978-0-13-468599-1 This is not just the best book on Java, but one of the best I’ve read on any programming subject. Every Java developer will benefit from Bloch’s solid advice and thorough exploration of language and library quirks, on a par with classic namesake … Continue reading “Effective Java (3rd ed.)”
Tag: Books
Book reviews
Core Java 9 for the Impatient
Core Java SE 9 for the Impatient — Cay S. Horstmann, Pearson Addison-Wesley 2017 (2nd ed.), ISBN 978-0-13-469472-6 The Impatient series condenses the traditional monumental Core Java tomes (2,072 pages for Java SE 8) into a single book a quarter the size – 538 pages for Java SE 9, 480 pages for the first edition … Continue reading “Core Java 9 for the Impatient”
Gehlen’s Moral & Hypermoral
Moral und Hypermoral (1969) is the final work of German philosopher Arnold Gehlen (1904–1976), today somewhat forgotten except among German philosophy students and niche conservatives. I confess that I started reading him myself only recently, obviously far too late. He’s well worth a recommendation, and in this spirit I append a translation of the beginning … Continue reading “Gehlen’s Moral & Hypermoral”
Duhem’s Aim and Structure of Physical Theory
Aside from his work as an eminent physicist, Pierre Duhem (1861–1916) produced “massive groundbreaking” publications on medieval science (which I have yet to read) and a classic book on the theory of science, La théorie physique, son objet et sa structure. The original (1906) is available on Archive.org, and so is the excellent German translation … Continue reading “Duhem’s Aim and Structure of Physical Theory”
Algorithms in a Nutshell
Algorithms in a Nutshell — George T. Heineman, Gary Pollice & Stanley Selkow, O’Reilly 2016 (2nd ed.), ISBN 978-1-491-94892-7 This fairly slim book covers the basics of algorithmics and benchmarking, and also provides pseudocode and implementations (in C/C++, Java, and Python) for nearly 40 important algorithms. The major drawback is obvious when you consider that … Continue reading “Algorithms in a Nutshell”
Core Java 10 for Java 8
Core Java, Volume I: Fundamentals — Cay S. Horstmann, Prentice Hall (Oracle) 2015 (10th ed. for Java SE 8), ISBN 978-0-13-417730-4 Core Java, Volume II: Advanced Features — Cay S. Horstmann, Prentice Hall (Oracle) 2016 (10th ed. for Java SE 8), ISBN 978-0-13-417729-8 These two 1000-page tomes originated as Sun’s official guide to the Java … Continue reading “Core Java 10 for Java 8”
CSS: The Missing Manual
CSS: The Missing Manual — David Sawyer McFarland, O’Reilly 2015 (4th ed.), ISBN 978-1-491-91805-0 McFarland’s eminently practical book explains the structure and features of CSS from the perspective of a raw beginner. This does lead to some amusing baby steps, such as the introductory section on “mouse clicks,” but don’t let that deter you. McFarland … Continue reading “CSS: The Missing Manual”
Robert Ardrey’s Hunting Hypothesis
Robert Ardrey (1908–1980) was not only a noted playwright but also the author of four influential books on evolutionary anthropology. If you’ve never heard of him that’s because he was an outsider of the academic establishment, both as an amateur and as an early critic of the ludicrous Marxist propaganda known as the “blank slate” … Continue reading “Robert Ardrey’s Hunting Hypothesis”
Tainter’s Collapse of Complex Societies
The Collapse of Complex Societies (Cambridge University Press 1988; paperback 1990, 250 pages, ISBN 978-0-521-38673-9) is Joseph A. Tainter’s magnum opus and deservedly considered a classic. Tainter packs an overview of explanations of collapse, analyses of historical cases, and his own overarching theory into one slim book, soberly argued from quantifiable data yet quite readable. … Continue reading “Tainter’s Collapse of Complex Societies”
Core Java 8 for the Impatient
Core Java for the Impatient — Cay S. Horstmann, Addison-Wesley 2015 (for Java SE 8), ISBN 978-0-321-99632-9 This 480-page book is a compromise between Horstmann’s brief introduction Java SE 8 for the Really Impatient (215 pages) and the traditional monumental Core Java tomes (2092 pages for Java SE 7). Rather than covering virtually the entire … Continue reading “Core Java 8 for the Impatient”