This book provides you with all the reference information you require as a first time Express user. The book is written in conjunction with the development of a simple catalog application. Therefore, you learn about the differents tools provided within Express as you build the application. I was able to find exactly what I was looking for with this book. Express is essentially WebSphere Studio Site Designer (with a base application server), so there is not a lot of mention of Java tools. Overall, this is a great reference for the Express product.