Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Absolute Beginner)

Learning Python, Second Edition

Python Cookbook

Dive Into Python

Python in a Nutshell

Python

Python: Visual QuickStart Guide

Format: Paperback
Author: Chris Fehily
ReleaseDate: October, 2001
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Rating:

Brevity is the soul of wit, and utility in this case,


As a small and simple tutorial guide I've enjoyed this book. This review paraphrases and expands on a review I posted on Slashdot.

Most of the examples are for the command line. This will encourage you to experiment and play. Creative play is where good programmers come from. It's not going to teach you how to write a big app or become a graphics wizard. It's certainly not suitable as your only reference book. It will give you an excellent introduction to the language in simple prose. It's small, lightweight, inexpensive and brief. It'll get you started, and you'll occasionally go back to it when you want a simple understandable explanation of a concept. I've bought some other tomes that weigh 10 times as much, cost 3 times more and came with a CD, that aren't as useful. I like it and still refer back to it on occasion, maybe it'll help you. I suspect it would be ideal for anyone who has trouble with english; since almost every mini-lesson takes about 1 page and carries a very brief commentary, very little translation would be needed compared to most books.

I work in IT where the constant attitude that "O'Reilly books are always good, that's always what you should get" is starting to put a sour taste in my mouth. This book is an excellent example of an alternative to the exhaustive but exhausting O'Reilly style. Experienced working programmers may find it moves too slowly for them but for beginning to intermediate readers this book is a pleasure.

Justifies the title
The concepts are explained clearly with tons of examples - in fact, there are very few pages that don't have examples. This book lives up to it's promise of being a visual quickstart guide. The 'Tips' sections are pretty useful. The book is also tastefully laid out and the publishers have stuffed the pages with just the right amount of information. If you are a programmer trying to come up to speed on Python over a weekend, then this is the book for you. Folks who send lot of time in airports or trains might also want to consider this book. Diligently reading this book and trying the examples, should give the reader a solid foundation in Python basics. The author has done an amazing job.

New to Python? This book is the best.
Python Visual Quickstart Guide made for somewhat dry reading first time through. I purchased and read several Python books. But when I sat down to write my first Python program, I soon found that this was the book I wanted open in front of me all the time. The book covers all the basics. Between the table of contents, the index, and the way the book is organized, finding what you need is almost always easy -- more so than any of the other books that I bought. .