Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery

Paperback
$10.10 - $38.45

$38.45 with 12 percent savings

List Price: $43.49

FREE Returns

FREE delivery Saturday, December 21

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tuesday, December 17. Order within 17 hrs 17 mins.

Arrives before Christmas

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$38.45 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

famous book

Sold by

famous book

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2025

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2025

For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$10.10

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Thursday, December 19 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Monday, December 16. Order within 5 hrs 17 mins.

Arrives before Christmas

Select delivery location

Only 4 left in stock - order soon.

$$38.45 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by Apex_media🍏 and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (75) from $6.44 & FREE Shipping

Look Inside... Python Programming Third EditionCora Harrison

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Michael Dawson

Follow

Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition 3rd Edition

by Michael Dawson (Author)

4.3 714 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$38.45","priceAmount":38.45,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"38","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"45","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"nxHCdodFYvnZ%2BMc6l2Nn81LeKg6yJ%2FS5ISQXaPAWWmkyfRjpj0NQEwfeiqdkRz4urifqJ5fpDAIXlWr4ojONrKGTIB53GQk0rExtBi0MFfICJnvTaeyo1GX3FFzOCSZLCOcKVaM72QsApkkb%2BCe%2F2plNIZ1k120z0LRu4LawbF%2BNDEj20ZuFd3iyZ4kZNUyg","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$10.10","priceAmount":10.10,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"10","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"nxHCdodFYvnZ%2BMc6l2Nn81LeKg6yJ%2FS5JLwshMcKpP2sWsA%2FE1tA38fKZIpuXpByK2sUJpMK2ak9EvMDSHk75lTLjXnxROerslW6oiX5sibxQV4PQdAKYXlHQWrHzWGoA%2FgtYGSjPrrzfSylWUPZgQLjy0FcRLBpJnIZrTbEPhtrMzo1cg%2FNJQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

If you are new to programming with Python and are looking for a solid introduction, this is the book for you. Developed by computer science instructors, books in the "for the absolute beginner" series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. You will acquire the skills that you need for practical Python programming applications and will learn how these skills can be put to use in real-world scenarios. Throughout the chapters, you will find code samples that illustrate concepts presented. At the end of each chapter, you will find a complete game that demonstrates the key ideas in the chapter, a summary of the chapter, and a set of challenges that tests your newfound knowledge. By the time you finish this book, you’ll be well versed in Python and be able to apply the basic programming principles you’ve learned to the next programming language you tackle.

ISBN-10

1435455002
ISBN-13

978-1435455009
Edition

3rd
Publisher

Course Technology
Publication date

January 1, 2010
Language

English
Dimensions

7.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
Print length

455 pages
See all details

This item: Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition

$38.45

Get it as soon as Saturday, Dec 21

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by famous book and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming

$28.99

Get it as soon as Thursday, Dec 19

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

Python Programming Language QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide

$7.39

Get it as soon as Thursday, Dec 19

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price: $00

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Features

From the Publisher

Perfect for the beginning programmer who wants to learn Python--a powerful, flexible, and concise programming language.

Each new concept is taught using a simple example program, and an end-of-chapter project ties together all of the concepts learned.

Each end-of-chapter project is game-based, making programming fun and accessible.

The accompanying website contains all of the software needed to write and run the programs in the book.

About the Author

Michael Dawson has worked as both a programmer and a computer game designer and producer. In addition to real-world game industry experience, Dawson earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. He currently teaches game programming and design to students of all ages through UCLA Extension courses and private lessons. Visit his Web site at www.programgames.com to learn more or to get support for any of his books.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Course Technology; 3rd edition (January 1, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 455 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1435455002
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1435455009
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #875,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #761 in Python Programming
- #771 in Microsoft Programming (Books)
- #1,018 in Introductory & Beginning Programming

Customer Reviews:
4.3 714 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Michael Dawson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Michael Dawson has worked as both a programmer and a computer game designer and producer. In addition to real world game industry experience, Mike earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. Currently, he teaches game programming in the Game Production Department of the Los Angeles Film School. Mike has also taught game programming to students through UCLA Extension and The Digital Media Academy at Stanford. He's the author of four books: Beginning C++ through Game Programming, Guide to Programming with Python, and C++ Projects: Programming with Text-Based Games. You can visit his website at www.programgames.com to learn more or to get support for any of his books.

Customer reviews

714 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. They find it fun and interesting to learn from. The author is described as helpful and humorous. However, some customers report issues with the code quality and access to the exercise files.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Ease of learning Fun to learn Helpfulness Humor Code quality Access to files Software availability

81 customers mention "Ease of learning"59 positive22 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and follow. It explains programming fundamentals and Python language specifics clearly. The source code is simple, and the book shows how to apply techniques in real-world scenarios. Overall, it's an excellent beginner's guide that makes things make sense.

"...He uses good analogies to illustrate concepts, and in general I've made steady progress through the book and am retaining a lot of knowledge...." Read more

"...This approach has finally made things start making sense. I am even able to figure out the Challenges at the end of the chapter and I am loving it!..." Read more

"...They are hard enough but not too hard. They generally required a fair amount of time and effort, but I was able to finally figure out all of them...." Read more

"Python Programming by Michael Dawson is a very well written book intended to enthuse amateur programmers into the world of video game programming...." Read more

12 customers mention "Fun to learn"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to learn from. They appreciate the clear explanations and interesting exercises.

"...them, which is highly recommended because they do make the learning much more interactive and hands-on." Read more

"...I chose this book simply because it looked fun and very clear. Each chapter focuses on tools needed to create games...." Read more

"...of being a game developer one day, I say buy this book right away - it's fun...." Read more

"...The book was also fun to read and the example programs were interesting and instructive...." Read more

3 customers mention "Helpfulness"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the author helpful and humorous.

"Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Helps Me Greatly... We Used it In Class" Read more

"...Author is descriptive, helpful, and funny. It really helped me learn the python language." Read more

"Great book. Helping me for sure!" Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's sense of humor. They say it makes the book worth reading and is refreshing compared to other academic books.

"...The author has an refreshing sense of humor compared to your typical, dry, professor book. The only I'm a little hesitant about are the examples...." Read more

"...There is often a bit of humor, or a little insight that makes it worth the read." Read more

"...Author is descriptive, helpful, and funny. It really helped me learn the python language." Read more

9 customers mention "Code quality"0 positive9 negative

Customers find the code in the book doesn't work properly. They find the instructions don't follow, and there are many errors. The method is fun, but it lacks rigor and theoretical depth. There is also a problem with accessing the code from the website mentioned in the book.

"...the idea behind the teaching method is fun, but it fails at being rigorous and theoretical which is what I wanted...." Read more

"...There are numerous errors in this book and many quite glaring and obvious (page 62 for example) that easily should have been caught by anyone..." Read more

"...One star removed for the inability to access the code from the website mentioned in the book and the fact that one has to pay for it...." Read more

"...is the website given for each of the examples to download the file does not work. [...]..." Read more

3 customers mention "Access to files"0 positive3 negative

Customers have difficulty accessing the files they paid for. The files are not available on the website.

"...Once on the web site, the files cannot be found. A phone call to their customer service was unproductive. "..." Read more

"...You can order the book there again, but you cannot access the files you paid to access when you bought the book. False advertising." Read more

"good book, I had a difficult time accessing the exercise files" Read more

3 customers mention "Software availability"0 positive3 negative

Customers are unhappy with the lack of software availability. They mention the software is inaccessible and the support software download is not available.

"Wrong edition, needs to be updated. Software inaccessible." Read more

"Missing software..." Read more

"Supporting Software Download Not Available...." Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kent Hudson

Great book, and the code samples are available on the author's site

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

I was a little hesitant to buy this book since some reviews pointed out that due to a publisher change the sample files were no longer available for download. I grabbed the Kindle sample anyway, though, and found that the author's website (the url of which is in the book) has the files. So while it may be slightly confusing to have the wrong url in the text of the book, the author's website (which is also printed right in the front of the book) does have the files you need. So this criticism of the book is not warranted.

Anyway, as for the book itself, I'm about halfway through and have found it very useful. I was taking a beginner's class in Python before buying this book, but since the classes were only once per week I wanted to learn faster. As such, I'm able to compare how this book teaches the concepts of Python programming against how the teachers in my class present the same concepts. And while there's no substitute for personal, interactive instruction, I can say that I'm very impressed by the readability of this book and the way it teaches programming. The code samples are very useful for showing how Python works, and the writing style is very easy to follow. He uses good analogies to illustrate concepts, and in general I've made steady progress through the book and am retaining a lot of knowledge. The searchability of the Kindle version is especially helpful, since it's easy to skip back to previous concepts if you need a quick refresher.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this book and let people know that the code samples are indeed available, though the url in the book is sadly incorrect. But again, just check the author's website and you can obtain them, which is highly recommended because they do make the learning much more interactive and hands-on.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

Teresa

Wow...I am hooked

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2010

Verified Purchase

I have tried many programming books. I have even taken a programming class or two but it has never really clicked before. There have always been to many jumps from explanation to assumed understanding. I would get lost and things never clicked. Recently I decided to give programming another chance because I believed somewhere in the back of my mind that I should be able to figure this out. I have been a system administrator for years but have never delved into scripting or programming before because I thought maybe I was just never meant to be a programmer. I decided maybe it was just the way I learn. So I decided first to start out with a HeadFirst book. It lost me immediately. The way it was presented in that book definitely didn't click for me. I set back to the task of finding a book and came across this one. This is it. I love the way he goes through the code and then has you run it and then explains what every line of code is doing. This approach has finally made things start making sense. I am even able to figure out the Challenges at the end of the chapter and I am loving it! Thank you Michael Dawson!

On another note...I notice that people are having problems finding the files that go with the book. If you take the link recommended it the book and then go to downloads it is rather confusing, but if you go to the link recommended in the book and then do a search for python and then take the link for this book, another screen will come up that will give you an option to view available downloads. Harder than it needs to be admittedly, but that is how I found them.

144 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sanford

Fine Choice for First Programming Book

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2010

Verified Purchase

I am a beginner with respect to programming, and do not have a particularly technical background: I know almost no math though I know formal logic pretty well. I was interested in learning something about computer programming just for fun and have looked through a number of books about a number of languages. I even spent some time with C before I decided on Python. To an absolute beginner, it seemed a relatively intuitive language without some of the messy detail required by C, for example, about memory allocation. I chose this book simply because it looked fun and very clear. Each chapter focuses on tools needed to create games. I do not have any interest at all in playing computer games of any kind, but it is a relatively painless way to learn Python. I also found the exercises at the end of each chapter very good. They are hard enough but not too hard. They generally required a fair amount of time and effort, but I was able to finally figure out all of them. This is important since I am doing this on my own.

The Cons: The book aims to be simple and brief, but sometimes it is too simple and brief. Yes I learned to get the computer to do this or that, but I did not fully get some of the concepts. In fact, I think the book moved on to fancy stuff like graphics before I got down all I needed of the basics such as file control. Perhaps someone who already knew something about programming would have had less trouble. For example, the material on writing to a file stored on the hard drive for future use was fine, as far as it went. But I realized, when trying to write a program of my own, that I did not understand a key point. If you have recorded some data to a file, and then want to revise that data, Python rewrites the entire file. Huh? What about my original data? It gets over written. There has to be a solution to this problem, but I did not find it in the book. After hours of work I devised a way to get the right result, but it was very messy and, when I posted a question on a Python forum, I found there was a simple way to do what I wanted. Maybe I am a bit thick, but I think this could have been directly covered in the book. There were several other topics that needed more discussion.

Still, keeping in mind that this book only goes so far, it is a very good introduction to Python. But if you are serious about learning Python, at some point, you are going to need one of those big fat and far more boring books.

76 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tom

Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2024

Verified Purchase

Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Helps Me Greatly... We Used it In Class

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Amazon Customer

Heard Great, not yet finished

Reviewed in India on November 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I got this book, instead I could have bought the other one

Alberto Mario Mura

Ottimo per l'avviamento alla programmazione degli adolescenti

Reviewed in Italy on April 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

Il libro è molto ben strutturato e molto chiaro. Mio figlio di 15 anni lo sta studiando con molto interesse. L'originale approccio, che usa la costruzione di giochi come mezzo per insegnare la programmazione in generale è davvero un'ottima idea, che l'autore ha realizzato in maniera davvero efficace ed esaustiva. Il testo è perfetto per far apprendere i fondamenti della programmazione ai ragazzi. La scelta di Python è ottima, perché Python dispone di un'interprete che consente un riscontro immediato anche a una singola istruzione e tuttavia consente di creare applicazioni che possono essere eseguite dal SO. Inoltre Python è, notoriamente, un linguaggio indipendente dal sistema operativo usato, anche se il libro fa riferimento soprattutto al suo uso in ambiente Windows.

Translate review to English

Igor

Cool für (junge) Anfänger

Reviewed in Germany on February 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

Es ist ein klasse Buch, um Programmieren zu lernen, allerdings auch für Leute, die Spielen etwas abgewinnen können, denn die Beispiele und Challenges basieren darauf. Ich habe vor dem Buch in meinem Leben keine einzige Zeile Code geschrieben, nach dem Durchlesen konnte ich einige Game-Klassiker kopieren und mich in andere Richtungen weiterentwickeln.

Translate review to English

Rhea Darch

Great guide

Reviewed in Canada on August 17, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book explains things clearly and works slowly through concepts in progression. I have minimal programming experience from over 10 years ago and I've been slowly but steadily learning python in my spare time. As long as you have the aptitude for programming and the will to keep going, this is the guide you need. However, I've been using the second edition because python 3 is not yet used in my industry (film/VFX).

It doesn't matter if you run windows, linux or a mac... once you get up and running the actual programming is the same.

Mukti Bhargava

A good book to read on python

Reviewed in India on March 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

Good read

See more reviews

Amazon Prime Free Trial

Return this item for free

Return this item for free

Image Unavailable

Follow the author