Python Essential Reference, 3rd Edition, is a comprehensive reference to the Python programming language. The focus of this latest edition is to add coverage of significant new features and new library modules added to the language over the past five years. Clearly written with concise organization, the new features covered include new style classes, unification of types and classes, xmlrpclip, intertools, bz2 and optparse, making it the most up-to-date Python book on the market.

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Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 71 Ratings

What I used to think a nutshell book was about! - 2008-03-17
Reviewer Rating:
I love the book. Use it with Python in a Nutshell. Use the Nutshell as a more comprehensive reference and this book to get exactly what I need when I have a general idea of what is needed. I see Python Essentials as more of a 'nutshell book' than the actual nutshell book. It is clear and concise and I find the print size to be very acceptable. The book is a maverick when it comes to being able to compare different approaches/elements. It will not do it for you, but since it is so precisely laid out, it is easy to think in terms of: "If I used this then I could do this; If I used that then I could do that, but not this, etc." If you have a basic background in python or other language, you will likely be able to frame up your ideas/knowledge into specifics and start coding to learn more or if you are already an accomplished programmer you can check and refine code in progress or established code projects.

Reference = Thorough, Concise, Well-Indexed - 2008-12-27
Reviewer Rating:
This is a excellent REFERENCE book -- thorough, concise, and well-indexed. It is not a tutorial. It is not a textbook.

I have found this to be my "go to" book when looking for details and nuances about aspects of Python. Information about a given topic can almost always be found here, when it might only appear in one of eight other excellent Python books. You will still need other books for examples, tutorial coverage, etc., of Python topics.

far and away my favorite python reference - 2008-12-05
Reviewer Rating:
This is my Python reference book of choice, my only complaint about the book is the quality of the spine, as constant use has led to some of the signatures to peeling away from the binding.

As regards the content though, this book is laid out precisely the way I like it. Every function is described concisely and clearly, every module that was current at the time of publishing is very clearly defined and outlined. I'm very fond of this book and I'm anxiously looking forward to the python 3.0 edition.

I'm generally fond of O'Reilly books, but in this case I would recommend this one over any of the O'Reilly python books that I have.

The Book is a 5, the Kindle Edition is a 0! - 2009-11-18
Reviewer Rating:
(This review is mostly a critique of the Kindle edition)

I'm really enjoying the content of the book, and find it to be a thorough reference to the Python standard library. However, the Kindle edition (as of this writing) is terrible. The Table of Contents link does not work, forcing you to jump to the beginning of the book to get to the table of contents. More a limitation of the software than the book, the Kindle PC edition also won't let you copy & paste code into a text editor to run, requiring you to re-enter the code by hand. Also no search? C'mon!

I highly recommend anyone interested in this book either pick up a print copy, or purchase a DRM-free PDF from the publisher for a few dollars more than the Kindle edition. This was my first Kindle purchase and will probably be my last for a while. There are a few other Addison Wesley titles that are only available as ebooks via the Kindle store, so I might purchase those, but not until the Kindle PC software improves.

Outstanding Reference - 2008-03-03
Reviewer Rating:
I say Outstanding Reference, because that's what this book is. While there are examples, they are short and concise - this is not a "how to" book (though the introduction provides an excellent overview). Rather, this is a text to keep alongside a book like Learning Python. It's dimensions are smaller than your typical computer book, so it fits nicely on my desk. Also, the index is the best you'll find (Dave actually generated it from a Python script). It's faster than looking stuff up online.

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