Already the industry standard for Python users, Programming Python from O'Reilly just got even better. This third edition has been updated to reflect current best practices and the abundance of changes introduced by the latest version of the language, Python 2.5.

Whether you're a novice or an advanced practitioner, you'll find this refreshed book more than lives up to its reputation. Programming Python, 3rd Edition, teaches you the right way to code. It explains Python language syntax and programming techniques in a clear and concise manner, with numerous examples that illustrate both correct usage and common idioms. By reading this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to apply Python in real-world problem domains such as:

• GUI programming

• Internet scripting

• Parallel processing

• Database management

• Networked applications

Programming Python, Third Edition covers each of these target domains gradually, beginning with in-depth discussions of core concepts and then progressing toward complete programs. Large examples do appear, but only after you've learned enough to understand their techniques and code.

Along the way, you'll also learn how to use the Python language in realistically scaled programs--concepts such as Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and code reuse are recurring side themes throughout this text. If you're interested in Python programming, then this O'Reilly classic needs to be within arm's reach. The wealth of practical advice, snippets of code, and patterns of program design can all be put into use on a daily basis--making your life easier and more productive.

Reviews of the second edition:

"...about as comprehensive as any book can be." --Dr. Dobb's Journal

"If the language had manuals, they would undoubtedly be the texts from O'Reilly...'Learning Python' and 'Programming Python' are definitive treatments." --SD Times

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 13 Ratings

pretty bad book - 2009-12-16
Reviewer Rating:
I'm new to python, not to programming. My programming skill level is beginner, I understand and use classes.

Anyway, I was very disappointed that this book did not come with a CD or at least a free copy online. They give you a 45(if my memory serves me right) day trial with Safari Books.

As other reviewers mentioned, it doesn't have a good index and it doesn't come with a CD, so it's hard to find info.

Also, the examples are horrible. I'm only on chapter 3 and most of the examples are going over my hand. The author will start out with a simple subject like StringIO and then dump it into a code that contains other info not yet covered. After having people explain to me what it does, both them and I fail to see the point of his example. It has no practical use.

He also keeps jumping from command line input code to IDE code.

So far, this book has been pretty boring, very unpractical and most of all hard to understand. I would definitely not recommend this book to beginners.

rather terrible. - 2010-02-05
Reviewer Rating:
I don't think I've come across a bigger deterrent to learning more about python than this book (although "learning python" runs a close second) . It's very heavy on minutiae, and myopic when it comes to larger design issues. I've had mostly great luck with the O'reilly books, but really felt let down by the Python series. Wish I had an alternate recommendation on hand, but I've just started looking elsewhere.

A total nightmare. - 2010-02-05
Reviewer Rating:
I bought this book assuming that it would be a good guide for python programming.

But I was wrong...

Right from the initial chapters, the author shows code that was not explained. And this trend just goes throughout this book.

A total disaster.

I really got discouraged and assumed that I wasn't up to it...

But then, I found an on-line tutorial [...] that gave me all I needed for python programming.
Hallelujah!

Python is an easy language to learn.

But not with this crazy book.

Bottom line, this book is totally useless for people who want to get a jump start. I mark it as a single star because it is totally irrelevant plus it knocks down a lot of trees (2 inches thick).

There's Better - 2009-12-09
Reviewer Rating:
This book is thicker than it is tall, is comprised of a quarter-acre of rain forest in paper, and is classified as a weapon in some states.
Not because it's some perfect codex of all Python knowledge, rather, it is an pointless accumulation of writing piled up for a decade. It repeats the same information not just in different chapters, but frequently in the same paragraph, just explaining something by saying the same thing over and over with different words five or six times in a row. It's poorly organized and painful to read.... which is tragic because Python is such a fun and easy language to learn.

Huge book - 2009-08-06
Reviewer Rating:
This book is one of the biggest books I own. It's amazing that the author was able to fit actual Python code on almost every page. I used to own the first version and I have to say it's definitely gotten better.

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