Learning Python, 3rd Edition
by Mark Lutz
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Book Reviews of Learning Python, 3rd Edition
Book Review: The Ultimate Reference For A Python Learner
Summary: 4 Stars
This book with its well organized, top-down, explanatory approach is the ultimate reference for the student new to the Python Language. For each major feature of the language a complete explanation is given including a description of why this feature is implemented in the way that it is, and a "Brain Builder" set of thought questions to reinforce this knowledge. In taking this complete explanatory approach to explaining Python this volume may not offer the most efficient tutorial path for a new learner, like other volumes which take us from a simple explained program to gradually more complex examples. But it provides a reference to why Python does it the way that it does. The next edition should also give an explanation and rationale for the changes in Python 3.0, but in the meantime this is the best reference for the Python Learner.Book Review: Terrible Book for Python
Summary: 1 Stars
I was sorely disappointed by this book. I normally love O'Reilly books and was very glad to see that they had make a beginners book for Python; but this book is just terrible. Like others have said, its very very wordy, repeating even the most simplistic concept 5 different times but discussing the more complicated parts with esoteric examples - which is what is accounting for the majority of this book's pages.
Though I have now become a pretty decent Python programmer, this book had absolutely nothing to do with it. Instead I would highly recommend Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional) which is a fantastic book for learning and great for reference.
Book Review: Somewhat disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
As a newcomer to Python, I find this book educational but somewhat inadequate for getting one's feet wet with a new programming language. Essentially all the sample code in the book is in the form of very short snippets run from the command line. There is almost nothing in the way of a full-blown sample Python program showing the reader what it's all supposed to look like in the end.
Python's strengths as a programming language are ostensibly its readability and ease of use, but you get no sense of that reading this book. All you get is bits and pieces that you have to glue together somehow. It's neither a complete technical manual nor a good introductory book for the novice programmer. The book is useful, but I would hope that there are better titles out there.
Book Review: Good if you read the whole thing.
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm an experienced C++ programmer, wanting to learn python. The very bottom-up organization of the book makes it hard to be productive without reading the entire book. I just finished it, and I think it presented a very clear, logical description of the language. However, if you only read the first half, you don't know "beginning python". Rather, you know half of the language, and can't do anything useful. This is entirely the wrong book to read if you need to write some useful python code tomorrow.
It was a little wordy and repetitive in places, but goes into enough depth to give a good understanding of the language.
Book Review: Good for newcomers
Summary: 5 Stars
As a ASIC Validation Engineer I need to write many scripts on daily basis. I use Perl for that. Never worked with Python before. I don't have any idea about OOP as well. My knowledge is limited to Verilog/VHDL and C. So I have decided to learn Python to get more flexibility in my job. I tried with many books but none of those are user friendly. If you have previous scripting knowledge and if you want to learn Python very quickly then this is the book for you. I think the best way is to translate your code into Python and then see the magic. I don't recommend this if you don't have good reading habit. Otherwise 5 star for me!