Python’s recent popularity has been driven by a large community of commercial and open-source developers working to create Web applications, games, financial algorithms, scientific programs, malware analysis, and computer forensic tools. One of the main reasons for its successful adoption is a wealth of standard libraries. While they are well documented, I have trouble understanding some of Python’s official documentation. That being said, it might be extensive, well structured, and indexed, and I am sure many people find it useful. For many Pythonists, however, a picture--or rather a good example of code--paints a thousand words. This book does just that. Hellmann is an authoritative and experienced Python programmer, and he covers key areas of the language. Most of the book’s content is from his well-known Python Module of the Week (PyMOTW) blog series (http://www.doughellmann.com/PyMOTW/).

The majority of the book’s weighty 1,300-plus pages is code, and its 19 chapters are logically organized into clusters of library modules.

The book is written for coders already familiar with programming--novices will find it difficult to comprehend. The ability to read Python code is essential to getting the most out of this book. Hellmann includes a brief explanation of the code, however, the essence is in the code itself. The output of the code is also included, which will help readers immediately understand how the code works.

This comprehensive book is filled with practical examples that demonstrate the power of Python as a programming language and Hellmann’s experience as an educator and author. The book greatly complements the standard Python documentation, and is highly recommended for Python developers of all levels and people who have previous experience with other programming languages.