Customer Reviews

Programming in Python 3: A Complete Introduction to the Python Language (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mark Summerfield's text: "Programming in Python 3" is a very good introduction to the Python programming language for people with prior programming experiance in another language. I came to Python from MatLab and prior to that, C and Fortan. So I'm pleased with the book and find myself refering back to it quite often. Having said that, this is not a "For Dummies" type book. Familiarity with with directory structure, file handling, and command prompt (console) operation is assumed.

The book covers all of the built in types and programming constructs of the Python language. It also introduces some of the useful (batteries included) standard library functinality along with details for working with modules and packages.

Finally, as I'm working my way into the middle of the book, I'm finding that it's a good introduction to object-oriented (OO) programming concepts and techniques in the clean syntax of the Python language. The OO concepts are not obfuscated by a language that is too criptic or too messy. Since this is about where I'm at on my own learning curve, the book is proving quite useful.

This is a great book that covers Python 3 in a very orderly and concise manner. Readers are quickly introduced to the power of the language in the first 2 chapters, then each of the topics are covered in a more in depth way later in the book. This, however, is why I gave it only 4 stars. These beginning chapters may feel intimidating to some as the may feel as though they have been dropped in the deep end of the pool. More complex concepts like short-circuit logic are given but a few lines of explanation where a more detailed analysis may be warranted. All that said, it is the book I chose as the text for the python course I teach at the college level. I have limited time to get the students up and running, and this book surely does that. It also is a good stand alone reference that many of my students have chosen to keep on their bookshelves rather than return to the bookstore at the end of the semester. In short, it is concise, fast-paced, and in depth - covering enough of the language that the reader can come out the end feeling like they have a fairly good grasp of the language, concepts, and "pythonic thinking."

As others have noted, this is a fast paced book which covers Python 3 very well. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the exercises are not very useful. They almost all consist of minor modifications to a program which has been discussed in the text. This is not enough to learn the language. One must also write programs from scratch, or at least make major changes to existing programs.

The Kindle version has major issues with code samples. The font size varies from far too small (hard to read) to far too large (taking up a large part of the screen) on a regular Kindle.

Wait until the formatting is fixed before buying.

The problem with a lot of programming books out there is that they assume very little prior knowledge and must teach everything from scratch. This becomes tedious for people who need their information fast and at a slightly advanced level.

Mark Summerfield's book gets to the point fast. The examples are interesting and relevant. The book moves at a fairly fast clip. He stresses the modern features of Python. The book also challenges you.

Chapters that I really liked:
-- Collection Data Types
-- Object Oriented Programming
-- Advanced Programming Techniques

The book reads extremely well and I would recommend it to any programmer who has has been in the business for a couple of years or more. If you need a more patient introduction then you probably want another book

At first I was displeased with this book, until I spend adequate time with it - Summerfield covers all the important concepts of Python 3 in detail and with clarity - the examples leave something to be desired, but I also have Beazley's 'Essential Reference' and although Beazely is comprehensive (encyclopedic), I find Summerfield to be a better teacher.

Start with Python Quick Book 2nd edition and then go to Summerfield - you will learn Python 3 well.

When I purchased this book, I was new to programming, having read only a book on C, but with no experience in writing anything. I was expecting this book would serve as gentle but thorough introduction geared towards the beginner.

The first few chapters accomplish this fairly well, especially the section on Python's "beautiful heart", giving a nice succinct overview of the core language features to be taught. However, as the book progress' the difficulty increases rapidly, and it becomes apparent that the target audience of this book is not the novice. There are two aspects which stood out to me then.

1. The succinctness of the code. A HUGE benefit of Python - but very confusing for a novice. Someone with prior experience would appreciate:

if word not in words:
words[word] = 0
words[word] += 1

But a beginner will likely be confused;

2. I found the chapter on Object Oriented programming confusing. Again, this is likely a reflection of the target audience - it less an introduction to basic OOP concepts than an explanation of Python's syntax and implementation. I write basic OOP-centered programs at work currently, and still have difficulty following this section. This caught me by surprise, as many of the earlier sections offered a more gentle introduction (e.g. the sections on sequences and control-flow).

The overall content of the book is well written, and while some commentors have suggested that the exercises are 'weak', this was not my experience - if anything they seemed challenging, thorough, and reflective of the content covered in the prior chapter.

As pointed out by the Author, this book is not specifically intended for the complete novice; and this is pointed out ('It assumes some prior programming experience'). While acknowledging this, there are certainly two types of 'beginner's books out there - those geared towards brief overviews and concept introduction, and those that, while a bit more challenging, offer a more complete coverage. I suppose I was expecting this book to fill the niche of the motivated beginner, and given the title, I think that was a reasonable expectation. Perhaps future editions will elaborate a bit more on "some prior programming experience", perhaps "some previous experience working with OOP programs" (or something of the nature).


A few other options (that I've perused) that may be helpful to the complete novice:
1. Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (Pragmatic Programmers)
2. Learn Python the Hard Way by zed shaw (Excellent transition from functional to OOP concepts)
3. Dive into Python 3 by Mark Pilgrim

The second edition of Mark Summerfield's PROGRAMMING IN PYTHON 3 has been fully revised to include new material on debugging, testing, string formatting and more, and is a 'must' for any programmer's library strong in Python programming. From creating custom packages to writing and reading binary, text and XML files, this comes packed with keys to successful Python programming.

Typical of the book, on page 53 Mark starts covering writing code in Spanish and the use of "Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, and Russian characters". Frankly, there is many, many more things I am interested in than how to write code in languages that I don't speak, will never speak and have no intention to speak.

Earlier on the same page a good portion of that page is referring to other places where information is available. He needs to first set a foundation, assemble the floor joists, nail down the sub-floor and continue building on it. What he does is jump around to the walls, roof and all over the blueprint before the foundation is complete.

Addison-Wesley and/or informit.com restricts your access to their WEB sight to a short period of time without a fee. They have gotten all the money out of me, both on this book and any book in the future.

The only reason it got one star is because zero stars is no option. I do not recommend this book to anyone.

I bought the 1st edition of this book about one year ago, and would give it 3 to 4 stars (it is too verbose for my taste). According to the review, this 2nd edition, which became available as soon as 1 year after the first one (and Python 3 specs haven't change in this period of time) is "A Fully Revised Edition Featuring New Material on Coroutines, Debugging, Testing, Parsing, String Formatting, and More". So, certainly the 1st edition I bought was the "draft" of the book which was probably thrown out to the shops due to marketing pressure. I feel cheated.

I'm NOT buying this 2nd edition (certainly the 3rd will arrive in a few months...). Instead I'll buy David Beazley's Python Essential Reference (4th Edition), whose 1st and 2nd editions I own have served me very well, and each edition lasts for 3 or 4 years.