Is the 1st edition a very good book? I've heard about it but never checked it out.
My current favorite is Head First Java. I've successfully helped 2 non-hackers to learn Java with it. The casual (even comic) writing style is really easy to read.
It's a geat book. Required reading if you're coding Java. Google gives it out to new employees.
Joshua Bloch writes well and is more qualified that most to write a book on Java. His little stories that he weaves in about this part or that of the standard library being broken are pretty sweet.
Head First Java is a good book for beginners. If you want to increase your Java knowledge (especially in designing framework/library), this is the book to read.
Of course, this, and other books that specifically talk about JVM.
My current favorite is Head First Java. I've successfully helped 2 non-hackers to learn Java with it. The casual (even comic) writing style is really easy to read.