Reviews for Programming in Python 3: A Complete Introduction to the Python Language (Developer's Library)

1. Not really an introductory text

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   I have mixed feelings about this book. I am an experienced Python programmer, and my reason for buying the book was to make the transition to Version 3 with its many language changes. For this purpose the book is ideal, and I would unreservedly recommend it.
   
   For someone new to Python the picture is less clear. The book undoubtedly assumes some programming experience. However, even an experienced programmer who is unfamiliar with Python might find it rather heavy going. There is no sense of being gradually introduced to the language - the book pitches you straight into advanced idioms almost from the very beginning. In my view a true introductory text would teach the basics of the language first only later introducing concepts such as list comprehensions and the functional programming paradigm as the reader's skills developed.
   
   If I were unfamiliar with Python I'd choose a different book as an introductory text, perhaps buying this one later as I gained experience with this excellent language.
   

2. A good introduction

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2009

   Not a bad book. I already had the O'Reilly "Learning Python" book. At the end I knew a lot but there wasn't much I felt I could actually do. I'm only just getting into this one but it has a much better feel (and it covers version 3). Summerfield gives you useful examples at the end of each chapter. I think they are on a supporting website but you learn much more about the syntax by actually typing them in yourself. He then sets exercises which invite you to extend those examples by adding extra features, tidying up the output and so on. That seems like a really good way to handle learning a language. Python is a really nice language. My books on Java are gathering dust now.

3. my impressions of this book

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2009

   I don't know what to think about this book... The subtitle of this book is 'A complete introduction to the Python language' but I must say with this book I realised how many different meanings this can carry.
   
   Don't get me wrong, this book DOES introduce you to Python 3.0 but it's more like learning about a foreign cuisine by reading recipes instead of visiting restaurants. An experienced chef may know what a certain combination of ingredients will taste like, but a mere mortal is left puzzled. The book shows you concepts, ideas, new things in the language BUT you don't actually get to write anything interesting. The book assumes you already know what you'd use a particular concept for and it doesn't bother with practical examples.
   
   This was not how I had imagined a 'complete introduction'. This 'complete introduction' also requires a prior programming experience (at least a semester of programming in any language I'd say). And some of the later chapters in the book are a so superficial impractically explained they're not even worth reading. e.g.: networking
   
   "Chapter 13: Introduction to GUI programming" starts with author explaining how bad Tkinter is compared to QT or GTK and then continues introducing you to Tk. Why on earth would you first discourage people from using something and then write a chapter about how to use it?
   
   I'm giving the book 3 stars but I can imagine that for an experienced programmer wishing to give Python a go, this book may be just the right thing and they'd give it 4-5.
   
   note: Please click on the comments below see the discussion about this review.

4. Really poor

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2010

   The books doesn't show any change from 2.x to 3.x, which is a really poor thing since there are many programmers interested to see what are the differences. Very few (and messy) examples. The most of methods are just listed but nothing else is said about them.
   
   Really a poor effort.

5. Reference yes; Introduction no

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2010

   As other reviewers have noted this book takes the same approach as Lutz (Learning Python). It does a much better job at providing a reference for Python development than it does at introducing Python programming to novices. As long as that is what you are looking for go for it.
   
   Beginning Python (Norton) is better if you are looking for an introduction.