Please rate these Python books

[Steve Holden]

"Steve Lamb" <grey at despair.rpglink.com> wrote in message
news:slrn9bjuha.4qv.grey at teleute.dmiyu.org...
> On Thu, 22 Mar 2001 03:59:54 GMT, alan runyan <runyaga at thisbox.com> wrote:
> >how are you approaching python?  what is your level of experience w/
python?
> >what kinda books do you like? reference, explanatory, or 'by example' ?
My
> >favorite is Essential Reference, David Beazley did a incredible job.
>
>     No disrespect towards Beazley, he's a large reason why I work in
Python as
> much as I can now but his book semmed to be pretty much a dump of the
> postscript of the website to a printer.  Not that that is a bad thing as
it is
> the /only/ Python book I own and one I recommend to anyone who has passing
> familiarity with other scripting languages (Perl comes to mind).  You're
> correct in stating it is sparse on the examples but it is a rare case
where
> I've really needed the examples.  Python being as interactive as it is I
tend
> to learn by firing up Python in a separate window and then playing with
the
> syntax until it works out in that session before plopping it into my
script.
>
I would disagree with that (just so no-one can say this is a "me too" post
:-).

Beazley travels with me so I don't need to look up the ActiveState help
files as often as I otherwise would. If I can find it quicker offline, I'll
spend the money on the dead trees.

Prime collection is currently "Learning Python" (despite its age), "Win32
Programming in Python" and "Python Essential Reference". The rest have their
place, but it's in the bookshelf, not the briefcase.

regards
 Steve