Java is currently among the essential programming languages. It is used for the customization of applications for a wide range of purposes. According to the TIOBE index of August 2019, Java was declared as the number one programming language among all the other languages. The good thing is, learning Java is now accessible for anyone from beginners to experts, thanks to some great books.

If you are someone who is looking for the best books to learn Java, you might want to continue reading. In this article, we have shared some of the best books according to online research that might be helpful for you to learn Java, whether you are a beginner or an intermediate programmer. Check out the list below to know about all the best books that can help you learn Java.

1. Core Java Volume 1 – Fundamentals

Core Java Volume 1 – Fundamental covers core concepts of Java.  It can help you get in-depth learning about Java and API with the help of numerous examples from easy to hard so that you can use Java in real projects. Most of these examples reflect modularization that can demonstrate easy-to-manage codes. 

Core Java Volume 1 - Fundamentals contains chapters having basic topics for beginners such as data structure, variables, classes, objects, etc., along with some advanced stuff like generics, collections, objects, lambda expressions, concurrency, swing design, functional programming, and many other important topics. So, if you are a programmer or thinking about being one then this book can be your first step towards a healthy career in programming.

Author: Cay S. Horstmann

Publisher: Prentice Hall

2. Java a beginner’s guide

As the name indicates, this book is a great way to start learning Java as a beginner. Written by Herbert Schildt and published by McGraw Hill, this book is an absolute masterpiece. Java a beginner’s guide offers an excellent guide to explain how you can start programming in Java and become a professional programmer one day. 

This book also guides how to tackle challenges related to Java and put different pieces together. Numerous topics like, core java, multithreaded programming, Lambda expressions, generics, Swing, modules, enumeration, and interface methods are widely explained in this book. 

Author: Herbert Schildt

Publisher: McGraw Hill

3. Head First Java - A Brain-Friendly Guide

Head First Java can be a great way to learn Java if you are already bored of the how-to manuals of Java. This book provides a brain-friendly guide (as you must've assumed from the name) by offering a visual format so your brain can be engaged even better. As we can get bored by reading text-based guides, books like Head First Java can be an excellent way to train our minds with a new approach.

Author: Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates

Publisher: Oreilly Media

4. Java: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners

If you feel like learning Java is a daunting task, don't worry. We got you covered. Try giving this book a try. Java: Programming Basics offers a thorough introduction to Java that will be helpful for you to write programs and solve problems soon. You can study the critical topics of Java. This book is written for beginners. It also contains a guide regarding the inner working of Java Runtime Environment and Java Development Kit. Furthermore, you'll also find examples illustrating every topic, such as Variables, Data Types, Constants, Type Conversion, Decision Making, Loops, and Operators.

Author: Nathan Clarks

Publisher: Apress

5. Java: The Complete Reference

You can try this book out if you are at the intermediate or expert level but would like a quick overview of the basics. This well-structured book can turn out to be a good pick for you as it provides a complete source of Java programming. Moreover, this book contains practical real-world examples for the topics. Java: The Complete Reference Is known for covering the whole of Java that includes fundamental topics, such as keywords, syntax, and basic principles of programming. It also covers some complex topics, including Java API library, swing, concurrency utilities, servlets, JavaBeans, etc. It has also included an introduction to JShell - Java's interactive programming tool. 

Author: Herbert Schildt

Publisher: McGraw Hill

6. Java performance: The definite guide

In the Programming field, coding and testing are considered as two different expertise. Sometimes, companies hire two programmers to work on coding and testing. But, in this amazing Java guide, the author takes the approach that everyone who writes codes in java must know how code behaves in JVM as well as the tuning likely to help its performance.

With this book, you will learn and gain in-depth knowledge of the working of java using the java virtual machine including the language and API. Java performance: the definite guide covers all the latest Oracle and third-party tools for monitoring and measuring performance on a wide variety of hardware. The book is an amazing piece of art that contains tips and tricks you will find nowhere else.

Author: Scott Oaks

Publisher: O’Reilly media

7. Thinking in Java:

Thinking in Java is a hands-on guide that can be helpful for you to write efficient Java codes with the help of the best features of Java. This book offers over 500 working Java programs in more than 700 compiling files written again for the new Edition of Java in the book. The book begins with an object-oriented introduction that may benefit both beginners and experts. The topics that this book contains include an introduction to XML, Design patterns, concurrency, etc. In a nutshell, this book can remain a primary source of knowledge even if you visit it after years of coding and investing your mind in learning and coding in Java.

Author: Bruce Eckel

Publisher: Prentice Hall Professional

Closing Thoughts:

We hope that you have found the provided helpful information. Learning about numerous books, courses, and challenges can be daunting and confusing. However, trying out the books mentioned above will help you learn Java even if you are not familiar with this programming language.

You might feel overwhelmed with all the topics you need to cover because learning Java is not easy. However, if you want to learn it, try to buy some fun books that help you make learning enjoyable as this language is quite helpful to learn.