practical python
Python is a strange language to me. But I think that's understandable considering I've programmed in nothing but Perl and PHP for the past 7 years or so. Spending that much time with Perl, it's a given that I've gotten too sloppy with my scripting. So when I tried Python, it was like a slap in the face for the first few days. "What do you mean I have to convert that to a string? That's so stupid!". Besides small annoyances like that, Python does have it's strong points -- ranging from no curly braces to effortless object creation.
I started learning Python with O'Reillys Python in a Nutshell. That got me started on the basics. Then I jumped right into Mark Pilgrims Dive into Python and got completely lost. Finally I found Hetlands Practical Python and just wish I had started with that from the beginning. Practical Python gives you a nice -- well -- practical tutorial on the language for the first half of the book. The second half is full of projects and examples that are, again, practical. This second half is really great in that it'll boost anyones confidence with using Python. From chatrooms to web programming to file sharing programs to games, Hetland shows you that you can do anything with python.
However, just like any new language you learn, you'll still be reaching for a reference book for the first couple weeks. For that, I'd recommend Python in a Nutshell and Dive into Python.
This book gets an 8/10.
