[Tutor] nutshell review

[Terry Carroll]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006, nephish wrote:

> i know this comes up from time to time. i am considering buying 'python
> in a nutshell'. All the reviews i have read for it are very good. But it
> only covers up to python 2.2. i use 2.3 at work, and tinker with 2.4 at
> home. As good a reference as it is, is it too dated to be that good
> still ? 

No, it's not too dated.  I still use it constantly as my main reference.  
When I know a facility is post-2.2, I use the online docs instead.  But my 
preference is definitely for the Nutshell.  Alex explains things 
extraordinarily well, in my opinion.  The book is well-organized 
and well-indexed, so you can find things pretty easily.

Two thumbs up, from here.

> i have 'Learning Python' and 'Programming Python'. Learning is
> awesome for me, Programming is a bit over my head. 

That tracks my feelings.  I don't find "Programming Python" to be very 
useful.  It's not the sort of reference book that, say, "Programming Perl" 
occupies on the Perl world.  My own take on PP is that you can't open it 
up to a discussion of a particular feature and understand that feature 
without understanding a lot of other things having nothing to do with the 
feature, but that are implicit in the explanations and examples.  (But I 
hasten to add, I've seen enough people swear how much they love that book, 
that this may just be idiosyncratic to me.)

I think a good Python *reference* book is invaluable to any Python 
programmer.  And to me, that book is Python in a Nutshell.

There are a couple others that are good, too: 

  The Python 2.1 Bible - 2.1, obviously; I don't know if there's a later 
version;


  The Complete Python Reference  - published 2001, so bound to be a bit 
dated)

  Python Essential Reference - When I first started playing with Python, a
library copy of this was my reference.  I liked it, but I like the
Nutshell just a little better, but that may be a matter of familiarity.  
If you're going for this one, I'd suggest waiting another couple of weeks.  
The Third Edition is coming out February 24, which means it will be the
most current Python reference book, when published.  I would be surprised
if it didn't cover through 2.4.