"definitive" source on advanced python?

[Alex Martelli]

vdrab <stijndesaeger at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> Is there some sort of coherent source (dead tree format, maybe?) on
> some of the more advanced features
> of python (decorators, metaclasses, etc)? I'm sort of looking for a
> python book that actually gets to the good stuff at some point, without
> first spending 6 chapters on how to append ints to a list. I can't seem
> to find any.

"Python in a Nutshell" covers some advanced features (including both of
those you mention, in the 2nd edition due out in a few months) in
Chapter 5, but it may not be advanced enough for your desires (since, in
Chapter 4, it _does_ cover, inter alia, the list.append method).

I do not know of any book that ONLY cover exoterica and just assumes
that the reader has complete, thorough and correct understanding of all
the basics (some of which are subtler than most people think).

Many of my presentations, available at www.aleax.it in PDF form, do
focus strictly on some advanced subjects.  However, you get just the PDF
form of the slides, not the way I normally present the materials (I do
not think any of my presentations has been filmed, yet).


Alex