first book about python

[IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS]

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations ?
Ioannis

[Philippe Martin]

I don't know, if I were the genious that made up Python I would not believe
in any bible (small b)

IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS wrote:

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations ?
Ioannis

[gregarican]

Try "Learning Python" which is part of the O'Reilly series of books
they publish on computer programming. It's a good start. Most public
library systems have copies you can check out, and most larger
bookstores have it. Otherwise there's always Amazon.Com. Welcome to
Python and enjoy!

IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS wrote:

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations ?
Ioannis

[tac-tics]

Philippe Martin wrote:

I don't know, if I were the genious that made up Python I would not believe
in any bible (small b)

Take it to alt.religion please.

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.

I had the same problem as you. I heard lots of good things about
Python, but was unable to sit myself down in front of my computer long
enough to learn it. So I picked up a copy of Learning Python and read
the entire thing in a night.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059...120028?ie=UTF8

I'm sorry I can't really do a comparison between different books, this
being the only one I bought, but it got me to the point where I could
start playing with code and reading the online documentation (which is
superb).

Coming from a relatively strong background in Java and C++, this book
was very easy to digest. The book is not a "teaching programming" book,
so unless you have experience in at least one real language programming
language, it might not be worth your time.

My only complaint about this book is the confusing way it presenting
Python's OOP model and the way they present for loops (they make it
sound like for loops are 100 times slower than in Java or C++... They
don't get the actual point across effectively, that they are just
different.)

[Cameron Laird]

In article <1152405704.389 754@athnrd02>,
IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS <al***@ath.fort hnet.grwrote:

>I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations ?
Ioannis

http://groups.google.com/group/comp....39b0fbd9c04db8

http://groups.google.com/groups?as_q...p.lang.python*

http://diveintopython.org/

[BartlebyScrivener]

>I always find printed material more convenient than

>reading on-line tutorials.

If you are sure you want a book and not online tutorials, then it's
important that you have many code examples which include both the
statements and the results. You may like Chris Fehily's Python Visual
Quickstart Guide for this.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/as...43/inscape-20/

It's long in the tooth (only covers up to 2.2 and doesn't get too much
into OO), but it features abundant examples running in columns right
alongside lucid explanations of how Python works.

rd

[crystalattice]

On Sat, 08 Jul 2006 14:41:52 -1000, IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS
<al***@ath.fort hnet.grwrote:

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations ?
Ioannis

I started out w/ "Learning Python" from O'Reilly which is good for a nice,
general overview of the language but I wanted something more detailed. I
found the "Python Learn to Program" textbook from Deitel & Deitel to be
very good. It's based on v2.2 but it still has practical use. Since it's
a text book it has many examples and small problems to try as you develop
your skills. If you can find it used online you should be able to get it
<$40.
--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[Paul Rubin]

IOANNIS MANOLOUDIS <al***@ath.fort hnet.grwrites:

I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.

Why not print out the on-line tutorial and read the hardcopy?

[Jake Emerson]

There have been lots of recommendations for the O'Reilly book, which is
a good one. However, I would recommend "Beginning Python" by Magnus Lie
Hetland. All I knew before starting Python was Mathematica, and this
book was very helpful. It may seem to start out slow, but I've found
that I'm going back to those first chapters occasionally to review and
practice the syntax. It, and this group, have carried me through some
pretty tough problems (for me anyway). It's been worth it. Good luck.

Jake

[Alex Martelli]

Jake Emerson <ja**********@o nerain.comwrote :

There have been lots of recommendations for the O'Reilly book, which is
a good one. However, I would recommend "Beginning Python" by Magnus Lie
Hetland. All I knew before starting Python was Mathematica, and this
book was very helpful. It may seem to start out slow, but I've found
that I'm going back to those first chapters occasionally to review and
practice the syntax. It, and this group, have carried me through some
pretty tough problems (for me anyway). It's been worth it. Good luck.

Hetland's books are excellent, particularly if you like to learn by
example -- I believe the current one "Practical Python" is meant to
supersede the earlier "Beginning Python" (but I'm not sure).
Alex