O'Reilly continues its Java series with this title Java Enterprise in a Nutshell , which forms the hypotenuse to the ubiquitous Java in a Nutshell and the recent Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell . Over the series, a strong format and approach has been adopted, such that one knows what to expect from a Nutshell book. So does this one fit in?

Java Enterprise in a Nutshell is divided into three distinct sections. The first of these is an introduction to the Java Enterprise APIs, which contains the predictable material: overviews of JDBC, RMI, CORBA, Servlets, JNDI and EJBs. What is probably most surprising about this overview section is the depth that is reached in so few pages. These chapters achieve as much detail as any of the other Java Enterprise guides in much less space.

The second major part to the book is a Java programmer's guide to other enterprise tools they are likely to come across. This covers SQL, RMI tools and IDL reference and an overview of the CORBA services. On first read, my reaction was that these were gratuitous padding, but then I realised the book was attempting to become the first port of call for reference material. As it is, I don't have a SQL reference anywhere, so overall, this is a good thing.

The final section of the book is the API quick reference. Anyone who has ever skimmed one of the Nutshell books will know the format of this section. Overall, I was surprised by how well rounded this book was. It really is a useful Java Enterprise reference and it deserves a place of honour on my desk..