"Effective Java: Programming Language Guide" (Addison-Wesley; ISBN 0-201-31005-8) by Joshua Bloch is another Java tips book. There are several on the market already that serve the purpose. I was surprised to see yet another one. I didn't look at the author's name and started reading the preface and begin to think, I probably know this guy's name. Sure enough, I looked and saw Josh Bloch's name on the book. I no only know Josh's name. I have exchanged e-mail with him numerous times and he helped me get the Java Collection Clearinghouse web site up. I have the upmost respect for Josh's knowledge and hard work on the Java APIs.

The book contains 57 tips. They range from being very basic to being very advanced. Unlike most of the comparable books out there, Josh threw in a few tips that I hadn't seen covered before. I've been doing Java since the beginning so this is rare. Each tip is well explained and accurate.

If you are going to buy a book of this many tips genre, this is the volume to get. Also, this may be an odd thing to say, but Josh really is one of the unsung heroes of Java. He has worked behind the scenes and done much of the important work on the Java APIs that wasn't sexy. For example, much of the java.util package is from him. Anyway, this is an additional reason I support this book.