Java Developer's Guide to Servlets and JSP by Bill Brodgen (Sybex))

There is no question that Bill Brogden has done a fine job of covering the subject matter in this book. He discusses the Servlet and JSP APIs and their uses in depth, as well as giving GREAT example code. It is packed with related topics including XML, JDBC, RMI, JNDI, LDAP, Enterprise JavaBeans etc.
This book is not aimed at beginners, but rather assumes a familiarity with Java and related technologies, and that the reader is just expanding into Servlets and JSPs. In particular it is assumed that the reader is familiar with HTML.
I did have a little problem with the organization of the book. The book starts with how Web Servers handle HTTP requests and discusses how Servlet Engines work. However at no time does he explain WHAT a servlet is, and he just assumes that you know that Servlets are handled with servlet engines. He starts right out using XML in his examples, even though the topic of XML is not introduced until chapter 6. Then, at that point he starts explaining it from step one as though you had never heard of it before. As the book progressed and became more topic by topic oriented this was no longer a problem.
My favorite part is the chapter that Paul Wheaton (of JavaRanch fame) helped write - Applet to Applet communication. OK so I am biased!
If you need to understand Servlets and JSPs in depth, this book will do the trick.
(Cindy Glass - Bartender, October 2001)
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