Python books?

[Paul Hummer]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> BartlebyScrivener <rpdooling at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> On Mar 14, 3:50 pm, a... at pythoncraft.com (Aahz) wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> Some people prefer shorter books -- Python for Dummies (for new
>>> programmers) and Python in a Nutshell (for experienced programmers) both
>>> try to give a thorough survey of Python while keeping the book easy to
>>> carry.
>>>       
>
> Not for me to comment about my own books, but I can second your
> recommendation for your "for Dummies" for beginners.
>
>   
>> And other people like lots of examples and code organized around
>> practical projects a person might like to accomplish using Python. The
>> Python Cookbook 2nd edition is great for this, and Martelli et al are
>> great writers, as well as great programmers.
>>     
>
> If you like _substantial_ examples, rather than the simple/short ones
> typically used in manageable-sized books, Hetland's "Practical Python"
> was also a great buy (I believe it's now been replaced by "Beginning
> Python" by the same author, but unfortunately I haven't seen that one).
>
> In general I dislike books that try to teach a language (or other
> technology) via "substantial examples", because the issues with the
> examples may obscure those with the language or technology; e.g.,
> Stroustrup tries that route in "The C++ Programming Language", as Lutz
> does in "Programming Python", and to my taste the results are inferior.
>
> However, at least in "Practical Python" (can't speak for "Beginning
> Python"), Hetland managed to pull it off -- perhaps by placing the
> substantial programs he develops as successive examples in a clever
> sequence, so that at each step he's not dealing with many diverse new
> issues but just manageably few of them.
>
>
> Alex
>   
I'll vouch for "Beginning Python"  This was my first Python book, and it
taught me everything I needed to get started.  I still refer to it from
time to time.  After I graduated from that, I started reading "Python
Network Programming," the next book in that Apress series.

Paul
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