a python book hint

[Alex Martelli]

Cameron Laird wrote:

> In article <_fydneqCioX5Ki-iRVn-iw at comcast.com>,
> Aubrey Hutchison <abhjrpe at comcast.net> wrote:
   ...
>>It appears that if you want to read about
>>   1)--perl
>>   2)--"C"   
>>   3)--jokes in a techinical book
>>   4)-- British TV
>>   5)-- Family history stuff
>>   6)-- and so on.....
   ...
> ?  I don't think I understand.  I believe you're saying that
> such books as *Python in a Nutshell*, *Core Python Program-
> ming*, *Text Processing in Python*, *Learn to Program Using
> Python*, ... fail to "stick to the core subject".  Do I have
> that right?  What do you see as examples of this fault?

"Python in a Nutshell" _DOES_ show how to extend Python
with C (chapter 24, 35 pages out of 636), thus presumably
hitting Aubrey's trigger [2]; does mention and thanks some
relatives in one line in the Acknowledgments, thus presumably
hitting trigger [5]; does take half a page to (e.g.) explain
about HTTP cookies rather than requiring the reader to be
totally familiar with them, thus presumably hitting trigger
[6].  I _think_ my editor managed to find and zap all of my
few attempts at dry humor, and the book surely has nothing
about perl nor British TV, but still, it's not _100%_
Python: I would guess _about_ 93.2% or so (if one considers
"extending Python with C" to be "not Python" -- alas, the
subject is FAR too useful to many readers for me to ever
consider removing it, as, I believe, are the brief capsules
or URLs about not-familiar-to-ALL technologies which I have
before expanding on how Python interfaces to them...).


Alex