Professional JSP shows the underlying servlet code for many JSP samples. As explained by the authors, JSPs are a simpler way to write servlet code because Java statements are embedded within HTML. This fact makes the book especially useful to programmers who know about servlets and want to progress to JSP development. The introductory tutorial to JSP is as good as any you'll ever see. Short examples illustrate basic JSP features like directives, scripting elements, implicit objects, and JavaBeans. The book also reveals a variety of ways to track session information (including cookies), which is particularly helpful.

Several case studies show key concepts in action, including how to use custom tag libraries. Nicely functional samples include a Web site for an online investment company, a photography database, and a membership-based online grocery store. (This last example shows how to use LDAP and JNDI to store user information.) In addition to a thorough tutorial for learning JSPs, chapters in this text look at combining EJBs, XML, and other Java 2 Enterprise features that you'll need for successful real-world development. Handy appendices detail how to install and configure the free Apache Web Server and Tomcat JSP engine. There's also a reference to all JSP and servlet objects and APIs.

Overall, you'll mine plenty from Professional JSP, including several extremely useful coding examples that'll get you going on serious development for real-world e-commerce Web sites. --Richard Dragan