Best-selling author, Walter Savitch, uses a conversational style to teach programmers problem solving and programming techniques with Java. Readers are introduced to object-oriented programming and important computer science concepts such as testing and debugging techniques, program style, inheritance, and exception handling. It includes through coverage of the Swing libraries and event driven programming. The Java coverage is a concise, accessible introduction that covers key language features. Thorough early coverage of objects is included, with an emphasis on applications over applets. The author includes a highly flexible format that allows instructors and readers to adapt coverage of topics to their preferred order. Although the text does cover such more advanced topics as inheritance, exception handling, and the Swing libraries, it starts from the beginning, and it does first teach traditional, more basic techniques, such as algorithm design.