Programming for the Java? Virtual Machine [With CDROM]

This is truly a classic that will live on for years. This is a good read even for people who aren't into Java. The VM concepts are well explained here, and the text is surprisingly easy to read, given the heavy nature of the subject. The JVM versions have moved on, but this covers the basics very well, and is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to know what a Virtual Machine is about under the covers.

The first five chapters of this book provide an introduction to programming in "Java assembly language" using the assembler included on the CD-ROM. This introduction does a good job of explaining the JVM instructions, but could have used more exercises to help the reader learn and practice using more of the instructions. Additionally, the chapters, appendices, and index could have been better organized so that I didn't have to keep flipping through pages to find the syntax and semantics of instructions.The remainder of the book explores various areas such as verification, debugging, the class file format, security, and most importantly, compiling Java and other languages into JVM code. Mostly, this material is a tutorial introduction to information provided in the Java Virtual Machine Specification, but there is some original material in the chapters devoted to compiling Scheme and Prolog.Be aware that this book contains numerous errors; you'll want to grab the errata list from the Addison-Wesley website.

Together with author's reference implementation in CD, this book is a "must" tutorial for anyone who wants to translate other languages (scheme, prolog...) into java bytecode. It starts with discussions of jvm and bytecode, and then gives deep anaylsis of java the language from the viewpoint of bytecode. From this, reader gains significant insight on how to code in java the best way.Although the book can expand more on its scheme->java implementation, I find it a very good starting point for any serious work. I wholeheartedly recommend the book to anyone interested in java and its jvm.