[Tutor] Python books

[Alan Gauld]

On 10/11/12 01:18, Ed Owens wrote:

Please start new threads with a fresh mail. On threaded readers this 
gets lost under a previous topic called "Question"...

 > Dawson, which is too plodding. Can you experts recommend a Python
> library?  I would like to have:
>
> A command reference for the basic library.

O'Reilly's Nutshell book or the Pocket Reference or Beasleys "Essential 
Reference". But mostly I just use the built in help() system...

> A comprehensive "How to" course for the basic library.

There is a best practice Python 'Recipes' book, but there is a much 
bigger resource on ActiveState's site.

> Graphics in Python

Depends on the tookit. For GUIs there are books on Tkinter, wxPython, 
PyQt and (I think) pyGTk. There are more general books on things like R 
and GNU plot. Theres also pygame and things like OpenGL. It all depends 
on what kind of graphics and your favoured toolkit. Too hard to 
recommend anything specific.

> Data Management in Python

I don't know of anything specific although a lot of the general 
tutorials include a chapter on the Python DBI interface. But the biggest 
thing here is learning SQL...

> Using the internet with Python

Python Network Programming by Goerzen.

> (maybe Real Time(ish) Python)

Don't know of anything here. The (ish) is the killer, you can't really 
do too much hard real-time in Python...

> A comprehensive "Learn Python" course that puts all this together

I would have recommended Python -How to Program by the Deitels but I 
don't know if its been updated so is now quite old. If you can pick up a 
cheap second hand copy its a good broad top level intro to all of the 
topics above. Its the only one I've seen that covers everything in your 
list except real-time. But it was very expensive.

That's my list   :-)

Of course I cover most of it in my online tutorial too.
-- 
Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/