I recently received a copy of Michael Dawson's Python Programming for the absolute beginner, and the second edition of Learning Python by Lutz and Ascher. I am evaluating both of them for use in an adult education class for absolute beginners, and I thought I would post my opinions, both for your amusement and so you can tell me how I am wrong :-). I like Learning Python a lot but for all the wrong reasons. It appeals to the geek in me. It explains with exhaustive detail all the ins and outs and traps and wrinkles to all the basics of Python. For example, the book spends 25 pages (!) explaining different ways to run Python programs (IDLE, command line, double-clicking...) This book tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I learned Python from the first edition of the book and I remember it being a bit overwhelming. I had many years of programming experience and several languages under my belt at the time. It's hard to imagine someone who is not familiar with some kind of programming - or at least a fairly sophisticated computer user - enjoying this book. On the other hand Dawson's book is deceptively simple. At first I was constantly editorializing about what he was leaving out, how I would have written that bit of code, etc. The programming examples are all games. The first few programs are very basic. They are not much as entertainment but they demonstrate print and quoted strings and variables. He presents material in very small bites, but there is plenty of meat and he includes enough detail to keep going and avoid the major pitfalls. Each new idea is introduced in the context of a working program. The programs become increasingly complex, ranging from a simple guess-the-number game to tic-tac-toe to an arcade game. Along the way there are snippets of good programming practice interjected, like how to write good variable names and why globals are best avoided. Like the coding itself, these tips are simple but should help a beginner get off on the right foot when writing his own programs. So, for another programmer who wants to learn Python, I would recommend Learning Python. But for a rank beginner I think Python Programming for the absolute beginner is a better choice. Best regards, Kent -- Kent S Johnson http://www.kentsjohnson.com