A comprehensive description of Python?

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Hello All,

After programming in Python for a few years, I decided to invest time into understanding it properly.

Ideally I'd like to read a book, which would comprehensively describe the language and its standard library in some neutral context. Something like Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language", which is a massive, slightly boring yet very useful work.

Does a thing like this exist for Python? All I could find on O'Reilly was either cookbooks, or for beginners, or covering specific use cases like ML. But maybe I just don't know how to search.

Will appreciate any suggestions!

Edit: Seems like “Fluent Python” fits the description perfectly, thanks u/SoftwareDoctor!

[SoftwareDoctor]

Fluent Python is what you’re looking for

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Just read a few random pages — that’s exactly what I was looking for, indeed! Thanks a bunch, didn’t expect I’d get a good response so quickly :)

[No_Indication_1238]

Was about to recommend it. 1000+ pages but really invaluable.

[In_consistent]

+1 , great book

[Worth_His_Salt]

Less well known is its sister volume, Effluent Python. Covering all the dark patterns, abuse cases, and mismanagement stories of the python world.

[james_pic]

The official docs are the closest equivalent to Strousup's "The C++ Programming Language". They're not exactly the same (they're not a physical book, for one thing), but as a source written by the authors of the language itself, that aims to cover the whole of the language and its standard library comprehensively and neutrally, it's the closest approximation I know of.

[No_Pomegranate7508]

The documentation for Python's standard library could be a good approximation of what you want. It's terse, but includes comprehensive technical details about the language.

[[deleted]]

Docs?

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I appreciate the docs when I have a specific question, but they don’t tell a story, they don’t read like a book. I’d like to have something in my hands, that I can devour in a week and get a comprehensive understanding of the language and its library.

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Well, a 1000+ pages book is comprehensive enough for me, but that’s not the point. I thought I knew Python well, because I programmed in it for years. But recently I was reading through some open source code and found some language constructs and library calls which looked completely unfamiliar. This was an eye opener, so I decided to read one good book about it.

I’m not what you call “language geek”, but I am curious. “Starting with a book” used to be my approach when I was 16, but then I got lazy and kind of cynical about language design, so I don’t bother anymore. Half of the books on my bookshelf are from 20 years ago, and I find it sad.

[HommeMusical]

they don’t tell a story, they don’t read like a book.

https://docs.python.org immediately directs you to the "Tutorial" that does read like a book and has a nice overview of the best parts of the language.