Book to learn Java web development

Hi guys,

I'm going in to my 3rd year at university next year and will be using Java for web development. I've finished up this year early and I'm looking to get a head start on on next year (yeah, I know, I'm a swot). Can anyone recommend any books or resources for learning Java web development? I'm a complete Java newb but I've spent this year programming in C# so it should be a relatively easy transition (I hope!).

I've previously bought books from the Head First series and think they are fantastic. I noticed they have Servlets * JSP, Second Edition but it uses J2EE 1.5 and the current version is J2EE 6 (soon to be J2EE 7). Is this book too out-dated or are the fundamentals the same that I can use it?

Can anyone recommend any more updated alternatives?

Thanks in advance,
Iain

Hey lain,

You may want to start with the following thread: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/show...-JSP-resources

Then for a physical copy, I've always recommended that people go to a book store and browse around. Pick up the book, read a few pages from each chapter, and see if it feels right to you. I've only had one Java book and I don't even remember the name of it so obviously it didn't leave a good impression on me. However, I do feel that 1.5 with the latest being 6/7 is too out of date (even though the underlying principles should transfer across versions of J2EE).