AP Computer Science: Example Textbook List

The list below represents examples of textbooks that meet the curricular requirements of AP Computer Science. The list below is not exhaustive and the texts listed should not be regarded as endorsed, authorized, recommended, or approved by the College Board. Not using a book from this list does not mean that a course will not receive authorization. Syllabi submitted as part of the AP Course Audit process will be evaluated holistically, with textbooks considered along with supplementary, supporting resources to confirm that the course as a whole provides students with the content delineated in the curricular requirements of the AP Course Audit.

The specified editions of the following textbooks meet the AP Computer Science Course Audit curricular requirements. Earlier editions of these texts and other textbooks not listed here (including concise textbooks) may meet the AP Course Audit curricular requirements if supplemented with appropriate college-level instructional resources. For discussions regarding the usefulness of these texts and other teaching materials in the AP Computer Science classroom, please consult the Teachers' Resources section of AP Central.

Any edition of these texts below that predate Java 1.5 will need to be supplemented to present the complete AP Computer Science program.

The texts below cover the AP Computer Science A curriculum, defined in the AP Computer Science Course Description's Topic Outline, as indicated:

Bruce, Kim B., Andrea Pohoreckyj Danyluk, and Thomas P. Murtagh. Java: An Eventful Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Cahoon, James P., and Jack W. Davidson. Java Program Design 5.0. McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Cook, Charles E. Blue Pelican Java. Refugio, TX: Charles E. Cook, 2010.

Dann, Wanda, Stephen Cooper, and Barbara Ericson. Exploring Wonderland: Java Programming Using Alice and Media Computation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010.

Deitel, H. M., and P. J. Deitel. Small Java: How to Program. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Headington, Mark, Nell Dale, and Chip Weems. Programming and Problem Solving with Java. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2003.

Horstmann, Cay. Big Java. 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010.

Horstmann, Cay. Java Concepts. 6th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2010.

Kolling, Michael, and David Barnes. Objects First with Java — A Practical Introduction Using BlueJ Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Lambert, Ken, and Martin Osborne. Fundamentals of Java: AP Computer Science Essentials for the A and AB Exams. 3rd ed. Boston: Thomson Course Technology, 2007.

Lewis, John, and William Loftus. Java Software Solutions: Foundations of Program Design. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Lewis, John, William Loftus, and Cara Cocking. Java Software Solutions for AP Computer Science. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Litvin, Maria, and Gary Litvin. Java Methods A & AB: Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures, AP Edition. Andover, MA.: Skylight Publishing, 2006.