Effective Java, Second Edition by Joshua Bloch is an updated version of the classic first edition, which was the winner of a 2001 Jolt Award. This edition has been updated to discuss Java 6 language features, and the back cover of the book describes some of the new topics covered as:
- New coverage of generics, enums, annotations, autoboxing, the for-each loop, varargs, concurrency utilities, and much more
- Updated techniques and best practices on classic topics, including objects, classes, libraries, methods, and serialization
- How to avoid the traps and pitfalls of commonly misunderstood subtleties of the language
- Focus on the language and its most fundamental libraries: java.lang, java.util, and, to a lesser extent, java.util.concurrent and java.io
The book's publisher, Addison-Wesley, made an excerpt available to InfoQ which includes the contents of the fifth chapter, entitled 'Generics'.
Read Book Excerpt and Interview: Effective Java, Second Edition
From the article:
InfoQ: Are there major changes between the previous version of 'Effective Java' and this one, or is it more of a refinement of existing ideas?
Joshua Bloch: It's a combination of additions and refinements. The second edition covers all the new language features. It has a chapter on generics, one on enums and annotations, and items on the for-each loop, autoboxing, varargs, and static import. The concurrency chapter has been thoroughly revised in light of java.util.concurrent. And all the existing items have been revised to reflect these new features, and to reflect seven more years of experience with the platform.
That said, I worked very hard not to alter the feel of the book. Hopefully it will feel like an old friend to readers of the first edition -- a little wiser and little heavier (21 items and 83 pages, to be precise), but an old friend.