Python in a Nutshell

What Hacker News says

1. drallisonAug 2017
   https://www.mooc-list.com/tags/python has a list.

   Do you mean Udacity rather than Audacity?

   Personally, I would read the reference manual, the library manual (a MUST), write some programs, and read some other people's programs. Python is a simple language.

   Reading other people's programs is a good way to apprentice when learning a new language. The Python Cookbook(s) and the 3rd edition of Python in a Nutshell make good reading.

   Python comes in two variations these days: Python2 and Python3. Python3 would be the best choice for a new learner.

   Show morethread
2. gbogDec 2013
   I got started with my current language of choice from a book I bought almost randomly at a book fair. This book is a reference of the language but is written in such a clear and precise language, showing a deep love for the language and great craftsmanship. Like you would certainly fall in love with the heroin of a novel you love, I fell in love with... python. The book was Python in a Nutshell, by Alex Martelli.
   thread
3. gbogMay 2013
   Martelli's Python in a nutshell is the best I have seen on python. Not a cookbook, more of a reference, but this guy is extremely precise and rereading is always deepening my understanding of python.
   thread
4. gbogNov 2011
   > At least JavaScript doesn't have typed catches. Holy black mother of darkness, that shit is intolerable.

   I would like the author to expand a bit instead. In python there are typed catches, it seems to make a lot of sense to me: you catch only the exceptions you want, and let the other ones bubble up. It is well explained in Martelli's Python in a Nutshell.

   I have seen try/catch construct in Java and Javascript, and it is probably less readable, and certainly can be over-used, but in Python, returning None in all exceptional cases is annoying, different issues got merged into a single "Muted" case.

   Show morethread
5. gbogNov 2011
   Agree with your points. Would add emphasis on ipython and heavy use of interpreter, pylint instead of pyflakes, "learn and prefer builtin modules" rule, and Python in a Nutshell on the desk.
   thread
6. serialxApr 2011
   Python in a Nutshell, O'Reilly Media, written by Alex Martelli http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596100469/

   Definitely recommended for learning Python fast&practically. It's the most comprehensive and useful Python reference book for programmers I've ever encountered.

   thread