I found this book to be a good introduction to Java, but I must qualify my praise for this book. Yes, It's quite readable, and covers quite a broad range of subjects. On the down side, it's tone is very utilitarian and formal; this is not a wholly bad thing in a programming book, but it can get a little boring. More serious criticisms I have for the book would regard the editing/proofreading and currency of the information. There are many typos, most noticeable inside the code examples in the book, for example:

// Create an instance of the ByteArrayOutputStream

OutputStream os = new ByteArrayInputStream();

The dangers of cut-and-paste. Unfortunately, these errors are reproduced on the CD-ROM, so some of the example code won't compile as-is. Also, while the front of the book says "Master Java 1.1..." there were some noticeable omissions such as changes to the I/O classes between Java 1.0 and 1.1. However, the new event model was covered which is a good thing.

All up I would say you could do a lot worse than this book.

A nice book, which provides the all java stuff together in single volume.Topics are explained in detail, according to their difficulty level. A good book for beginners as well as experienced programmers.

Of the dozen or so Java books I have read, this one definately ranks near the top. In terms of readability, it is better even than Java In a Nutshell (which has the unfortunate problem of being TOO concise).
Inside Java begins by describing the Java language while assuming no prior knowledge of Java, C, or C++ yet maintains readability and does not condescend more advanced readers. Though definately not recommended as a book for someone with no prior programming experience, anyone with a fair knowledge of structured programming will feel right at home. Inside Java covers the basic syntax of the language in the chapters 1-4 and does a very good job of explaning the Java object model in chapters 5-7.
From chapter 8 and onward, Inside Java explains more advanced topics one at a time, in a style that is suitable both for learning as well as a quick reference. For example, the book does a very good job of showing the details of each class to be used before throwing the reader into a moutain of code (which, unfortunately does not describe most programming books). The authors seems to understand that readers do not want to buy a book of rehashed code with little explanation.
The bredth of the book is amazing, and it does not seem to lose detail either. The chapters on object serialization and servlets nearly makes the book worth having.
This is a book no Java developer should do without.