For the 'core' (i.e. non-interactive parts of the) language, that's still somewhat true. So for basic class/method definitions, collections classes etc. you co

For the 'core' (i.e. non-interactive parts of the) language, that's still somewhat true. So for basic class/method definitions, collections classes etc. you could probably somewhat get by with the Blue Book. (with a massive caveat that the UI class hierarchy and interaction paradigm is completely different. Also, VM has gone through several iterations of changes that have necessitated some image-side changes which wouldn't track with the old books either.) However, your learning curve will be much easier if you start with a tutorial/reference targeting the dialect you want to work with. Then go back to things like the Blue Book to understand where it all came from and analyze the differences if you're so inclined.