[Tutor] Books

[w chun]

> > "Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional", by
> > Magnus Lie Hetland
>
> There's also, on-line, Dive Into Python by Mark Pilgrim, often
> recommended as a good intro book


both of these are very good books, but the target audience is slightly
different, as is for "Core Python" -- 2nd ed is coming out late this
summer!

dive into python gives a very quick... um, "dive", into python.  there
are specific tasks and subjects which marks wants you to learn from
and just jumps right in as a quick intro to python.

magnus' "beginning python" (really the 2nd ed of Practical Python)
spends more time on a more broad selection of topics, and goes more
in-depth, hence the reason why it's a bigger book.

<SHAMELESS_PLUG>
finally, "core python" is the complete and intensive intro.  we have
had pretty good word of mouth over the past 5 yrs for the 1st ed., and
i've finally had the chance to update it all the way to 2.5, 2.6, etc.
 the book is much longer than the other too, but my goal is to not
only "teach Python," something that someone already in this thread has
mentioned, can be learned online without a book really, but to dive
deep into it and go under Python's covers to learn how objects and
memory management work.

it is our belief that the in-depth learning helps you understand the
interpreter better, and in turn, write *more effective* python coming
out of the chute than if you just learned the syntax alone.  also, we
are proud to feature many easy, intermediate, and challenging
exercises at the end of each chapter to hammer the concepts home.  the
bad news is that you'll have to wait till the end of summer.  :-)

click on the link below in my sig for reviews, a sample chapter, and more!
</SHAMELESS_PLUG>

if you are looking for more of a reference book to pull off the shelf
while programming, we suggest the python essential reference by
beazley (who also had time recently to come out with a 3rd ed) or the
python in a nutshell by martelli (who's furiously trying to come out
with another ed). core python is not a reference book like the above
two but does have more reference material than the 1st two books
mentioned.  it's main purpose is teaching *and* learning python well.

cheers,
-- wesley
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2007,2001
    http://corepython.com

wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com
python training and technical consulting
cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca
http://cyberwebconsulting.com