Python Distilled

Anyone who started learning to write in Python by reading the online Python.org tutorial will have quickly learned that it barely scratches the surface of what the language can do, and gives almost no indication of what goes on under the hood - the 'magic' as it is often referred to. Having tried several books with many hundreds of pages, hoping for more complete treatments and insights, I still came away feeling there was a lot more to understand and with a sense of worryingly large gaps in my knowledge. Then I found this book.Python Distilled is the maximally clear and concise explication of everything Python can do, complete with explanations in terms of internal processes, including the 'magic' by which they are accomplished, and how it all fits together into a single conceptual overview, something which truly is a thing of outstanding beauty once it can be perceived. From this perspective it can be seen that Python really is a technological and intellectual wonder of the modern world; a next generational step beyond the established round of classical Object Oriented languages. All this laid is out in the minimal number of pages (but no fewer) and expressed in terms that any seasoned object oriented programmer will understand.As such this is not a book for newbie programmers. It is probably not even the first book for Python programmers - that would be the online tutorial. But when you are ready to dive into the sea of little secrets that add up to Python's one big secret then this is the book you will need. At a month old my copy is already dog-eared and battered, with some sections re-read many times as I use them to implement new and more sophisticated techniques. There are several really useful, possibly critical, reference tables, such as the magic methods underlying data model protocols, all the builtin types and functions plus the more immediately useful bits of the Python standard library.This is THE guide and reference for the journeyman Python programmer.

David writes with clarity and concision. The text is an excellent overview. It is not a tutorial, but rather seeks to drill down into the core of the language, and some of the standard library. The result is a condensed text that is useful to both beginners and those consolidating their knowledge before launching into intermediate texts or projects. If you are already a programmer, and want to start using python 3 quickly, start here. If you think you know python, you can scour this book for nuggets of wisdom. If you knew everything in here you'd know alot.

(Well, less the detailed description of the standard library, which is well documented elsewhere.) No less excellent than the previous editions. Rigorous and complete. Focuses on Python 3, so there is no scope for V2/V3 confusion. (If you need to use 2.7 then you need the Fourth Edition too).

I love this book. This is hands down the best intermediate introduction book to any programming language that I've ever read. It is clear, concise, has me surprised at almost every other page - it tells me things that aren't obvious, avoids covering the basics in nauseating detail (as most books do) and gets right to the meat, quickly and effectively. I feel properly armed to take on Python projects.I also like the fact that it isn't one of those awful 'hey kids, let's build a system together to learn' books, as so many other technology books seem to do these days... God, how I hate those. No, this is a sensible, well-written guide to the language, its style and its idiosyncrasies.

Loved the previous Developer Library 4th Edition of Python Essential Reference, but this version is a lot smaller and so a lot less useful as a reference for a professional developer.

Recommended as a reference and it hasn't disappointed yet. Clear, extensive, and well illustrated with examples. I'd recommend it too.

Un muy buen libro sobre el lenguaje.Lo que considero importante de saber antes de obtener este libro es lo siguiente.Es un libro sumamente digerible y sumamente completo, es un gran libro para conocer los elementos del lenguaje y como interacción entre sí a lo largo de tu código, sin embargo este libro no es precisamente un libro para aprender lógica de programación o solución de problemas usando código.Me parece que si el lector ya tiene este tipo de entrenamiento previo, este libro es una herramienta sumamente útil.

Very blunt and to the point reference book to the anatomy of python. This is probably better for someone who is already familiar with the language. It looks really comprehensive with all the topics easy to locate without wading through a bunch of educational narratives, exercises, and "quick tips". Definitely worth having but if you're looking for a single book for learning the language you might want to look at another book. I don't think this book was meant for that. I got the Learn Python Programming from Packt and am pleased with it for that task. This book is still worth having and I expect that it will complement my learning book very well.

D. Beazley is a) a Python authority; b) one of the best lecturers on technical matters (just check his countless keynote PyCon talks); c) an accomplished Python author (favorite book until this one: "Python Cookbook (2nd ed). In the past, I took two Python classes from him, and during the first I asked him whether "Learning Python" or "Programming Python" were good first books on the language. He said that no, they were too long, and that he preferred "The Quick Python Book", then still in its 1st edition. I am mentioning this episode, because I have the impression that Dave wrote his ideal version of "The Quick Python Book". This book's content is informative not only for what is covered in it, but also for what is left out. In his lectures and books Dave has been an advocate of "minimal", elegant Python. Over the years, Python has inevitably become a huge language. Syntax extensions, programming tools, and two gazillions of libraries make it a sometimes daunting language. But Python was--and still is!--a "language that fits your brain". There is *a lot* of stuff you can do with good native data strucutures and essential Python constructs. The resulting code will also more readable. If you thought that Kernighan & Ritchie was a complete book on C, and "Javascript: the good parts" a great book on Javascript", then you'll love this book. Like the other two, it describes the language and gives essential programming advice. Not a single sentence is superfluous, and not a single language feature presented is redundant. In the first 30 pages, a newbie will learn enough Python to write useful scripts and maybe complete programmin assignment in college. The rest of the book covers functions, OOP, generators, I/O. The reader who goes carefully through the enitre book will master Python by the end, and be ready for cherry-on-top books like "Fluent Python". Because the book is just 300 pages, it is readable front-to-back (who ever did this with "Learning Python"?). Because it is condensed and carefully written, it won't be read in a couple of sessions, though; and this is not a book for people new to programming. Experienced programmers, and even experienced Python programmers, will get out of it insights into the language that have made Beazley such a loved pythonista. Summing up: if you are new to Python, make this the one book you buy. If you use Python already, read the book to appreciate aspects of the language that may have escaped you.

Libro ideale per programmatori che hanno già esperienza con almeno un altro linguaggio, non insegna la programmazione usando Python come linguaggio didattico (come molti altri libri, essendo Python molto adatto per imparare a programmare da zero), ma direttamente le caratteristiche e funzionalità di Python e come utilizzare comuni paradigmi di programmazione con questo linguaggio. Consigliatissimo.

If anyone wants to have good control over object and classes in short modular coding this book is best.