Head First (book series)
Encyclopedia
Head First is a series of introductory instructional
books to many topics, published by O'Reilly Media
. It stresses an unorthodox, visually intensive, reader-involving combination of puzzle
s, joke
s, nonstandard design and layout, and an engaging, conversational style to immerse the reader in a given topic.
Originally, the series covered programming
and software engineering
, but is now expanding to other topics in science, mathematics and business, due to success. The series was created by Bert Bates and Kathy Sierra
, and began with Head First Java in 2003.
By using metacognition
the series' authors and editors try to employ varied methods to present information and accelerate the learning process.
The official web site for the Head First series has forums for each book as well as code downloads and sample chapters. They include:
s by some of their authors and hosts some applet
s that complement their books.
, winning in 2005 for Head First Design Patterns, and were recognized on Amazon.com
's yearly top 10 list for computer books from 2003 to 2005.
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
books to many topics, published by O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media is an American media company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics...
. It stresses an unorthodox, visually intensive, reader-involving combination of puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
s, joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s, nonstandard design and layout, and an engaging, conversational style to immerse the reader in a given topic.
Originally, the series covered programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
and software engineering
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
, but is now expanding to other topics in science, mathematics and business, due to success. The series was created by Bert Bates and Kathy Sierra
Kathy Sierra
Kathy Sierra is a programming instructor and game developer.She is the co-creator of the Head First series of books on technical topics, along with her partner, Bert Bates. The series, which began with Head First Java in 2003, takes an unorthodox, visually intensive approach to the process of...
, and began with Head First Java in 2003.
Concept
The main idea of the series is to effectively stimulate the brain by:- Telling stories
- Visualizing
- Using attention-grabbing tactics: page layout, non-standard examples, puzzles, jokes, and other means.
By using metacognition
Metacognition
Metacognition is defined as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing." It can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving...
the series' authors and editors try to employ varied methods to present information and accelerate the learning process.
Books
The offerings in the Head First series are quickly expanding. The books are also delving into subjects that are not directly related to IT, such as Math (Head First Algebra, Head First Statistics), Science (Head First Physics) and project management (Head First PMP). The books are also gaining some popularity for classroom use because of their novel approach to their subject matters.The official web site for the Head First series has forums for each book as well as code downloads and sample chapters. They include:
- Head First Ajax (ISBN 0-596-51578-2) by Rebecca Riordan
- Head First Algebra (ISBN 0-596-51486-7) by Dan Pilone and Tracey Pilone
- Head First C# (ISBN 0-596-51482-4) by Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
- Head First Data Analysis (ISBN 0-596-15393-7) by Michael Milton
- Head First Design Patterns (ISBN 0-596-00712-4) by Eric FreemanEric Freeman (writer)Eric Freeman is a computer scientist, author and constituent of David Gelernter on the Lifestreaming concept.-Authored works:Eric Freeman has publishing accolades for Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML which he co-authored with Elisabeth Freeman, and Head First Design Patterns also co-authored with...
, Elisabeth Freeman, Kathy SierraKathy SierraKathy Sierra is a programming instructor and game developer.She is the co-creator of the Head First series of books on technical topics, along with her partner, Bert Bates. The series, which began with Head First Java in 2003, takes an unorthodox, visually intensive approach to the process of...
and Bert Bates - Head First EJB (ISBN 0-596-00571-7) by Kathy SierraKathy SierraKathy Sierra is a programming instructor and game developer.She is the co-creator of the Head First series of books on technical topics, along with her partner, Bert Bates. The series, which began with Head First Java in 2003, takes an unorthodox, visually intensive approach to the process of...
and Bert Bates - Head First Excel (ISBN 0-596-80769-4) by Michael Milton
- Head First 2D Geometry (ISBN 0-596-80833-X) by Lindsey Fallow and Dawn Griffiths
- Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML (ISBN 0-596-10197-X) by Elisabeth Freeman and Eric FreemanEric Freeman (writer)Eric Freeman is a computer scientist, author and constituent of David Gelernter on the Lifestreaming concept.-Authored works:Eric Freeman has publishing accolades for Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML which he co-authored with Elisabeth Freeman, and Head First Design Patterns also co-authored with...
- Head First iPhone Development (ISBN 0-596-80354-0) by Dan Pilone and Tracey Pilone
- Head First Java (ISBN 0-596-00920-8) by Kathy SierraKathy SierraKathy Sierra is a programming instructor and game developer.She is the co-creator of the Head First series of books on technical topics, along with her partner, Bert Bates. The series, which began with Head First Java in 2003, takes an unorthodox, visually intensive approach to the process of...
and Bert Bates - Head First JavaScript (ISBN 0-596-52774-8) by Michael Morrison
- Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (ISBN 0-596-00867-8) by Brett McLaughlin, Gary Pollice and David West
- Head First PHP & MySQL (ISBN 0-596-00630-3) by Lynn Beighley and Michael Morrison
- Head First Physics (ISBN 0-596-10237-2) by Heather Lang
- Head First PMP (ISBN 0-596-10234-8) by Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman
- Head First Programming (ISBN 0-596-80237-4) by Paul Barry and David Griffiths
- Head First Python (ISBN 1-4493-8267-3) by Paul Barry
- Head First Rails (ISBN 0-596-51577-4) by David Griffiths
- Head First Servlets & JSP (ISBN 0-596-51668-1) by Bryan Basham, Kathy SierraKathy SierraKathy Sierra is a programming instructor and game developer.She is the co-creator of the Head First series of books on technical topics, along with her partner, Bert Bates. The series, which began with Head First Java in 2003, takes an unorthodox, visually intensive approach to the process of...
and Bert Bates - Head First Software Development (ISBN 0-596-52735-7) by Dan Pilone and Russ Miles
- Head First SQL (ISBN 0-596-52684-9) by Lynn Beighley
- Head First Statistics (ISBN 0-596-52758-6) by Dawn Griffiths
- Head First Web Design (ISBN 0-596-52030-1) by Ethan Watrall and Jeff Siarto
- Head First WordPress (ISBN 0-596-80628-0) by Jeff Siarto
Head First Labs
O'Reilly established Head First Labs, where books of the series are presented and the main idea behind the series is explained. The Labs also hosts blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s by some of their authors and hosts some applet
Applet
In computing, an applet is any small application that performs one specific task that runs within the scope of a larger program, often as a plug-in. An applet typically also refers to Java applets, i.e., programs written in the Java programming language that are included in a web page...
s that complement their books.
Awards
The books in the series have received three nominations for Product Excellence Jolt AwardsJolt Awards
The Jolt Awards are awards in the software industry.Since 1990, the Dr. Dobb's Jolt Product Excellence Awards have been presented annually to showcase products that have "jolted" the industry with their significance and made the task of creating software faster, easier, and more efficient.Jolt Cola...
, winning in 2005 for Head First Design Patterns, and were recognized on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's yearly top 10 list for computer books from 2003 to 2005.
External links
- Head First Labs
- Blog and blog archive of Head First Labs