Although I think nearly all Java developers can learn new things, new approaches, and new techniques from The Well-Grounded Java Developer, I think the book is particularly well-suited for the ...

Looking at the table of contents for Java: The Good Parts not only provides a quick overview of the main topics of the book, but also provides a list of what Waldo considers the “good parts ...

You're being optimistic if you think all of that can be covered to a worthwhile depth in a 200-page book. Your friend should start with the two volumes of Core Java, then go to Effective Java, and ...

I recently bought Sam's Teach Yourself Java 2 on a whim. Sam's books are usually pretty good intros (I wonder what others think) and it appears to go further and wider than the BlueJ book.