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<books>

  <book>

    <title>The Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide</title>

    <category>Java Certification</category>

    <edition number="3">

      <author>

        <lastName>Heller</lastName>

        <firstName>Philip</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Roberts</lastName>

        <firstName>Simon</firstName>

      </author>

      <isbn>0782140777</isbn>

      <review>

        <rating>7</rating>

        <reviewer>Dan Schlueter</reviewer>

        <ranchCategory>GreenHorn</ranchCategory>

        <reviewDate>

          <month>1</month>

          <year>2003</year>

        </reviewDate>

        <content>I will keep this short since the book is basically identical to previous editions.  I was able to pass the exam only using this book although I have a few major complaints.  First, chapter nine(I/O) is not even on the exam anymore but was left in the book.  The practice test has 50 questions instead of 61 the questions on the real test.  To make matters worse some of the questions aren't even about valid exam objectives.  My final gripe is that the questions at the end of each chapter are pathetically easy compared to the final exam in the book.  This edition looks at though it were rushed out because of the new exam. That being said, the items that did not change were fairly well covered and provided a good review for an intermediate java programmer.</content>

      </review>

    </edition>

    <edition number="2">

      <author>

        <lastName>Ernest</lastName>

        <firstName>Michael</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Heller</lastName>

        <firstName>Philip</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Roberts</lastName>

        <firstName>Simon</firstName>

      </author>

      <isbn>0782128254</isbn>

      <review>

        <rating>8</rating>

        <content>If you are trying to increase your core Java knowledge or you are studying for your Programmer's or Developer's Java 2 certification exams, the Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide is a book packed with useful Java2 language details. This revised second edition version comes with some added chapters covering the Developer's exam, more exam questions, and a CD-ROM which contains the entire book in digital format. The first half of the book is a thorough study guide which covers Programmer's Exam information. This part of the book digs right into the language fundamentals and presents Java syntax and semantics. The sample questions at the end of each chapter usually do a good job quizzing you on what you just read. The sections on Threads, Layout Managers, Components and I/O are well written. The second half of the book covers the Developer's Exam. Because the Developer's Exam is practical rather than objective, the second half of the book looks more at doing programming assignments. Basic examples of a room reservation system and a trouble ticket system are presented and discussed. I did find several errors while reading the book but there is a good errata website at www.sybex.com. If you pick up this book be sure and check out this site.</content>

        <reviewer>John Ternlund</reviewer>

        <reviewDate>

          <month>6</month>

          <year>2001</year>

        </reviewDate>

      </review>

    </edition>

    <edition number="1">

      <author>

        <lastName>Ernest</lastName>

        <firstName>Michael</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Heller</lastName>

        <firstName>Philip</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Roberts</lastName>

        <firstName>Simon</firstName>

      </author>

      <review>

        <rating>10</rating>

        <content><i>Reviews of 1st edition. 2nd Edition reviews coming soon.</i><br/>I based 75% of my prep time for the Java certification exam on this book. After all, one of the authors wrote the exam! I scored a 97% on the exam. Need I say more? :)</content>

        <reviewer>trailboss</reviewer>

        <reviewDate>

          <month>1</month>

          <year>2000</year>

        </reviewDate>

      </review>

      <review>

        <content>CowGirl's comment: Don't even THINK about trying to pass the SCJP without studying this book and taking the example tests.</content>

        <reviewer>Kathy Sierra</reviewer>

	<ranchCategory>cowgirl</ranchCategory>

        <reviewDate>

          <month>5</month>

          <year>1999</year>

        </reviewDate>

      </review>

    </edition>

  </book>

  <book>

    <title>Design Patterns</title>

    <category>Design Patterns, UML, and Refactoring</category>

    <edition numer="1">

      <author>

        <lastName>Gamma</lastName>

        <firstName>Erich</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Helm</lastName>

        <firstName>Richard</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Johnson</lastName>

        <firstName>Ralph</firstName>

      </author>

      <author>

        <lastName>Vlissides</lastName>

        <firstName>John</firstName>

      </author>

      <isbn>0201633612</isbn>

      <review>

        <rating>8</rating>

        <content>The most popular computer science book of all time. This is the "Gang of Four Book". 23 Design patterns that can be used in any object oriented language. You've probably used a lot of them and never knew it! Now, rather than taking 15 minutes to explain to another engineer what you are trying to do, you can just say "I'll use the state pattern here."</content>

        <reviewer>Paul Wheaton</reviewer>

	<ranchCategory>trailboss</ranchCategory>

        <reviewDate>

          <month>1</month>

          <year>2000</year>

        </reviewDate>

      </review>

    </edition>

  </book>

</books>