This sounds kind of weird, but I think the publisher has somehow shipped this edition (Pro JavaFX 9, the "fourth" edition of the Pro JavaFX series) with 6 chapters missing. Either that, or the book is being fraudulently marketed...

My primary interest in JavaFX is its 3D capabilities. However, the first thing you should know about this edition of this book (Pro JavaFX 9) is that it doesn't cover any of that. This is despite the book's Amazon summary - and back page - prominently claiming "New material in this edition includes ... coverage of the Shader DSL for JavaFX that allows you to generate Shaders for OpenGL and Direct3D". The book contains no other mention of either "OpenGL", or "Direct3D", and aside from stating that JavaFX has had 3D support since JavaFX 8, there's nothing else on 3D at all!

But that's not all that's missing. A good deal of information on JavaFX controls, media classes, mobile & embedded computing, web access, and using JavaFX from other JVM languages, has also been ripped out of this version.

Compared to the previous edition, which had 13 chapters, this edition has only 7. For the benefit of anyone who is inclined to feel ripped-off - as I do - here is a side-by-side comparison of the two editions:

Pro JavaFX 8:
Chapter 1: Getting a Jump Start in JavaFX
Chapter 2: Creating a User Interface in JavaFX
Chapter 3: Using SceneBuilder to Create a User Interface
Chapter 4: Properties and Bindings
Chapter 5: Building Dynamic UI Layouts in JavaFX
Chapter 6: Using the JavaFX UI Controls
Chapter 7: Collections and Concurrency
Chapter 8: Creating Charts in JavaFX
Chapter 9: Using the Media Classes
Chapter 10: JavaFX 3D
Chapter 11: Accessing Web Services
Chapter 12: JavaFX on Embedded and Mobile
Chapter 13: JavaFX Languages and Markup

THIS edition of the book, Pro JavaFX 9, has been thoroughly eviscerated:
Chapter 1: Getting a Jump Start in JavaFX
Chapter 2: Creating a User Interface in JavaFX
Chapter 3: Properties and Bindings
Chapter 4: Using SceneBuilder to Create a User Interface
Chapter 5: Collections and Concurrency
Chapter 6: Creating Charts in JavaFX
Chapter 7: Connecting to Enterprise Services

(You should note that most of the reviews of this book on Amazon predate this edition and actually relate to the older JavaFX 8 edition.)

There's no explanation as to why the chapters on Dynamic UI Layouts, UI Controls, Media Classes, 3D, Web Services, Mobile & Embedded, and use with other languages has been ripped out. The marketing is - at best - completely misleading. The Foreword is seemingly unchanged from the edition for JavaFX 8 and makes no mention of JavaFX 9. The front cover prominently states "A Definitive Guide to Building Desktop, Mobile and Embedded Java Clients" - except that there's nothing on mobile or embedded clients, so far as I can tell. And it's certainly not "definitive" after huge chunks of the book have been removed.

Since the Pro JavaFX 8 edition makes no mention of the Shader DSL, or OpenGL or Direct3D, I can only conclude that this material - along with 6 chapters of the book issued previously - has somehow been omitted when it was sent to the printer. If so, the publisher seemingly hasn't even read the book - or the cover - before approving publication. The description of the book on the front and rear covers is in sharp disagreement with its contents, with the latter being much less than promised by the former.

I have requested a refund for this book and I strongly recommend that you do not purchase this edition until either they provide the missing content, or update the cover and reduce the price significantly.