It's fast, irreverant, fun, and engaging. Be careful; you might actually learn something!
-- Ken Arnold, former senior engineer at Sun Microsystems, and
coauthor of "The Java Programming Language," with James Gosling
Warning: This isn't your father's Java manual. Head First Java is the first, best, possibly the only Java textbook with a real sense of humor. Beyond the engaging style that drags you forward from know-nothing into exalted Java warrior status, Head First Java covers a huge amount of practical matters that other texts leave as the dreaded "exercise for the reader. . . ." It's clever, wry, hip and practical--there aren't a lot of textbooks that can make that claim and live up to it while also teaching you about object serialization and network launch protocols. Check it out: it's a fab, funny, fun way to learn Java from the ground up.
-- Dr. Dan Russell, director of User Sciences and Experience Research, IBM Almaden Research Center (and teacher of Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University)
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| How Head First Helps You Learn |
We tell stories (PDF) using casual language, instead of lecturing. We don't take ourselves too seriously. Which would you pay more attention to: a stimulating dinner party companion, or a lecture?
 We make it visual (PDF). Images are far more memorable than words alone, and make learning much more effective. They also make things more fun.
 We use attention-grabbing tactics. Learning a new, tough, technical topic doesn't have to be boring. The graphics are often surprising, oversized, humorous, sarcastic, or edgy. You might not expect a girl in a bathtub discussing key object-oriented principles, but there she is. Or the woman pulling a duck from an ATM machine. Or the disembodied head on a table. The page layout is dynamic: no two pages are the same, and each one is crafted to keep the right mix of text and images. Examples are usually fun, strange, or both.
We use attention-grabbing tactics.
(Click to enlarge.)
We tell stories and make them visual.
(Click to enlarge.)
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