Burn some books (please)...

[Alex Martelli]

David Mertz, Ph.D. wrote:

> Alex Martelli <aleax at aleax.it> wrote previously:
> |>>Very long ago, some books where burnt in public,
> 
> |Very long as in, Winter 2001/2002, for example?
> |...as long of course as the books you burn belong to you, that's a form
> |of political speech which is just as acceptable as burning a flag.
> 
> I just want to point out to the readership that many copies of _Text
> Processing in Python_ are available at your local bookstore for public
> burning.  There's heresy in that book!  (apparently I trend a bit to far
> in an FP direction :-)).
> 
> I think I can speak for Alex in pointing out that _Python in a Nutshell_
> also makes for excellent kindling.

Unfortunately, the "Nutshell" is far too orthodox to make good
burning material in the symbolic sense, even though its physical
combustibility is not in doubt.

Rather, I would suggest the "Python Cookbook", which does have
enough examples of a-tad-too-clever-for-your-own-good tricks
(just like David's "Text Processing with Python") to make burning
it on the altar of simplicity a symbolically worthwhile endeavour.


Alex