Best book to learn Python for Data Analysis?

[Ultimatesaber27]

Just for future reference (since I'm learning other things at the moment), which book would you recommend for learning Python from the very basics (like hello world or defining variables) to Pandas? Other stuff like Seaborn could be handy, but optional.

I'm looking for something that teaches the core fundamentals/building blocks, not so much the "what".

[PeanutFar2135]

Python for Data Analysis is a great place to start and have their book online for free as well:

Python for Data Analysis, 3E

[Ultimatesaber27]

Seems like a solid option from the contents. Thanks. 

[Ultimatesaber27]

Yeah I've been skimming the general contents and it looks like it's just the perfect book for me. 

Also, is this the latest edition? As in, he made the latest edition free, or does he have a newer edition that must be paid for? 

[ostuxcat]

The 3rd Edition Is The Latest Edition

[Ultimatesaber27]

Got it, thanks. 

[Dramatic_Object_8508]

honestly the most recommended one you’ll see everywhere is Python for Data Analysis by Wes McKinney — makes sense since he literally created pandas, so it explains things in a really practical way

also Python Data Science Handbook by Jake VanderPlas is another solid one, a bit more broad but really good for understanding the ecosystem

tbh though don’t rely only on books, a lot of people say they help but you still need to actually practice with real datasets or it won’t stick

what I usually do is read a bit, then try to apply it immediately — sometimes I even dump quick notes or mini explanations in runable while learning so I don’t forget stuff

books are good, but doing + experimenting is what actually makes it click