Think Java

Think Java is an introductory Java textbook in the "Turing Programming Series," originally written by Allen B. Downey and Chris Mayfield under the title Think Java: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist. It does not intend to list Java syntax item by item as a manual; rather, it hopes readers will grasp the basic concepts of computer science while writing code, gradually forming the habit of "thinking like a computer scientist" and making "problem solving" the main thread of learning to program. The book has 14 chapters and 3 appendices. It opens with "The Way of the Program," defining programming languages, programs, and debugging, and leading readers to write their first Hello World program; it then proceeds through variables and operators, input and output, void methods and value methods, conditionals and logic, recursion, loops, arrays, strings, objects and classes, and finally to arrays of objects, objects of arrays, and "objects that contain other objects," naturally drawing out object-oriented ideas such as encapsulation and inheritance. The book makes extensive use of state diagrams, stack diagrams, class diagrams, and a Card/Deck example to explain abstract concepts, helping readers "see" how variables change in memory and how method calls proceed. Each chapter ends with a glossary and exercises, and terms are clearly explained at first appearance for beginners to look up at any time. The three appendices cover development tools, Java 2D graphics, and debugging, supporting hands-on practice. The book is concise (about 202 pages in the Chinese edition), emphasizing conceptual understanding and debugging skills rather than breadth of API. It suits university introductory computer science or Java courses, and also beginners learning programming on their own as their first Java book; to experienced programmers it is closer to a thinking-training reader that "explains the basics clearly again."