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Learning Python (5th ed.)
Lutz M., O’Reilly Media, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 2013. 1600 pp. Type: Book (978-1-449355-73-9)
Date Reviewed: Feb 28 2014

Programmers looking for a powerful language and a way to learn it need look no further than this book, which covers the essence of Python, a high-level general-purpose programming language. The language is great for beginners and expert programmers alike: it emphasizes code readability and is widely used by the industry. The book offers a comprehensive study of the language and, in addition, discusses effective programming skills with operator and object fundamentals, interactions and comprehensions, generators, object-orientation, imperatives, and functional programming.

Based on the size of this book, the reader might mistake it for a reference, but it is in fact a tutorial, intended to be read thoroughly. For a quick glimpse, readers are advised to read chapters 1, 4, 10, and 28. Readers interested in object-oriented programming might want to also include chapter 26. For learning Python in depth, readers should read the book entirely. The author starts with the fundamentals, beginning with a Socratic presentation of the correct set of mental concepts in the first chapter. This wonderful philosophical writing style appears throughout the book, drawing the reader in with provocative questions while presenting answers with a very calm and smooth concatenation of ideas. I found it ideal for quiet, thoughtful reading. The author is always committed to making the reader aware of the hierarchy of the ideas presented, as well as explaining why things are the way they are.

The book can be used in a full-semester course on Python. It is divided into seven comprehensive parts, with exercises for each part and each chapter, and one additional advanced part and one wrap-up part. The author delves deeply into the Python syntax model early on, carefully choosing which concepts to detail further and which to postpone to a later chapter. The exercises have a deliberately short design phase for the solution, so readers can get to the implementation phase quickly. The numerous source code snippets increase in complexity and are well distributed throughout the book. In conjunction with the source code, the author uses jokes and light literature, writing the book with an informal language in order to engage the reader in learning Python, a language that is also fluid, flexible, and easy to read.

The dynamics of the book recollect the traditional teacher-student interaction. The author guides the reader in the best practices of programming, warning of possible pitfalls as they present themselves. These different ways of programming are important regardless of the computer language in use. The book is a tutorial on becoming a Python programmer, familiar with Python data structures, interactions, and comprehensions, with readable idioms. The tutorial also helps the reader keep to the path through the vast world of Python. It is very clear when it comes to differences between Python versions 2.X and 3.X, which further enriches the reader’s knowledge of the language itself.

In summary, the book is very nicely written, with interesting illustrations and source code examples. The language of the book successfully presents a complete guide to the Python language. Furthermore, it provides exercises and quizzes to aid in the acquisition of experience in the great art of programming with Python.

More reviews about this item: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, IProgrammer

Reviewer:  Andre Maximo Review #: CR142048 (1406-0400)
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