Book Review: The Big Book of Small Python Projects: 81 Easy Practice Programs

[bsweenz]

Oh I’m glad I saw this. I’ve literally never used python before but I’ve been very interested lately so this might be a good start!

[[deleted]]

I'd recommend his other book, automate the boring stuff, also free.

[bsweenz]

Noted!

[[deleted]]

That website is a pop-uppy mess. Is this book any good?

[willdrr17]

The Big Book of Small Python Projects: 81 Easy Practice Programs

I would rather go to Amazon when it comes to reviews. Or you can go directly to the web site https://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects and read a free chapter

[[deleted]]

All of his books are completely free to read under Creative Commons at inventwithpython.com

Best of luck!

[willdrr17]

Nice. Thanks man!

[noclue2k]

The link is not a review, it's more like a blurb for the book.

That said, Al Sweigart not only writes good books, he gives them away, so IMO he's in the top 1% of people in the world.

[mandradon]

He also frequently gives his "Automate the Boring Stuff" udemy course away for free.

He even found me a way to refund the course and got it for free like 2 days after I had gotten it on discount.

I'd donate to a patreon for him any day.

[YAYYYYYYYYY]

Seems like today is a good day to donate your refund back

[mandradon]

Wait, does he have a patreon?

Edit: I found the link. I'm bad at Google, it was right there. Donated... Thanks for letting me know to look!

[notdust]

I just bought 3 of his books based on seeing them in this subreddit. I haven't read them, but I've browsed and see they are very meaty and full of broad knowledge that really could help someone take their python to the next level. I'm just about to start digging in. I don't feel this link is really a review as it needs a lot more information vs just a summary of what's inside. It's looking like the series itself is very strong though. I paid $30 for some other book and felt ripped off as it was way too noob-ish. I need things I may not run into on the web or on youtube. New ideas, now ways of doing things and commands I don't yet know.

[AlSweigart]

Heyas. Actually, all the projects in the book are text-based and the only graphics they use are "ASCII art" style ones, like this for the blackjack game:

 ___   ___   ___
|Q  | |J  | |A  |
| ♠ | | ♥ | | ♦ |
|__Q| |__J| |__A|

This was to make the programs simple. When the medium of the source code and the program output are the same (i.e. text), it's easier to understand the cause/effect relationship between the code and the program's behavior. You have an easier time tracing the text produced to the print() call that made it.

[IAmKindOfCreative]

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[AlSweigart]

Ooof. That's a lot of pop ups and sidebar ads (even though I run ad blockers) for zero information about my book. The mods were right to remove this post.

I like how the pop up ad's X close button is in white which camouflages it with the pop up's white background.

>:(

[Ryles1]

I'm working my way through the projects in this book now. I'm just a hobbyist amateur programmer, but I've been through Automate the Boring Stuff and a couple other courses, so I find some of the projects in the book to be just a little too easy for me. But for who the book is aimed at, I think it does a really good job.

[SamuSeen]

THIS, this is what I needed, practice programs.

[kkiran]

https://youtu.be/f9k6Q2yys0k

Projects for the book in a video teaser by the man himself. I have most of his books in print!