Good books on python

[rattis Participant]

So as to not high jack the Violent Python thread, I was wondering what people have used to learn python.

I prefer dead trees over pixels on a screen. I’ve been trying for years, but haven’t found a method or book that has spoken to me the way Learning Perl or Unix Shell Programming did.

Things I’ve tried:

Hello World – Wasn’t going down the path I was interested in. More about getting to the point to teach kids how to make a game. (I got it to work with my ex-gf’s kid).

Dive in to Python and Dive in to Python 3 – Wasn’t able to obtain dead tree versions, but these were alright. Although I only got about a chapter or so in to each.

Learn Python the Hardway – I got a little way in to it. But I felt like I was just regurgitating what I was reading on the screen and didn’t feel as if I was learning anything.

Google’s Python boot camp – got about halfway through it, but had some questions that I had a hard time finding people that could answer them.

[caissyd Participant]

Hi chrisj,

I am a developer and I know quite a few languages now. One trick I used with great success in the past is to work on a small personal project. I would buy a few books on the language and try to code something. For example: a small book review web app, a program to write SQL to different types of databases or if you’re a little bit more advanced, a simple client-server game like a basic battleship.

In a nutshell, what I found was that there isn’t such thing as a “golden book”. Unless it’s your very first language (and I know you can code), then threat all books has references and read only what you need.

I may not have answered your question, but setting little projects did wonders for me…

[rattis Participant]

I’ve tried that too. Mostly with perl. I’d find an itch to scratch, and then scratch it. But then I would move on and not keep using the language.

I’ve found that I’ve learned best from books (everyone is different).

I’m really only even interested in python, because it’s big in infosec. (haven’t seen violent perl or grayhat perl books). 🙂

[Henry864 Participant]

If you are indeed a beginner programmer, you may wish to consider the books in the 2nd book list I wrote up in A Python Reading List by Wesley Chun:

Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners (http://helloworldbookblog.com), 2nd ed., Warren Sande and Carter Sande, Manning
Invent your Own Computer Games with Python (http://inventwithpython.com), 2nd edition, Al Sweigart
Python for Software Design: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist, Allen B. Downey, Jeff Elkner and Chris Meyers, Green Tea Press
Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner (http://www.cengage.com/search/pr…), 3rd ed., Michael Dawson, Course Technology

While some of those books seem to target children, you’re certainly welcome to try them. Books that teach programming by writing games are especially motivating.

Be cautious of some of the other answers in this thread… there are some recommended books, which while good books, are completely NOT FOR BEGINNERS! The posters either failed to read your subtitle clarification or don’t understand what books are and aren’t appropriate for new programmers, focusing only on their preferred Python books. (Check Amazon & Goodreads reviews to confirm first before buying anything!)

[Henry864 Participant]

If you are indeed a beginner programmer, you may wish to consider the books in the 2nd book list I wrote up in A Python Reading List by Wesley Chun:

Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners, 2nd ed., Warren Sande and Carter Sande, Manning
Invent your Own Computer Games with Python, 2nd edition, Al Sweigart
Python for Software Design: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist, Allen B. Downey, Jeff Elkner and Chris Meyers, Green Tea Press
Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd ed., Michael Dawson, Course Technology

While some of those books seem to target children, you’re certainly welcome to try them. Books that teach programming by writing games are especially motivating.

Be cautious of some of the other answers in this thread… there are some recommended books, which while good books, are completely NOT FOR BEGINNERS! The posters either failed to read your subtitle clarification or don’t understand what books are and aren’t appropriate for new programmers, focusing only on their preferred Python books. (Check Amazon & Goodreads reviews to confirm first before buying anything!)

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