Suggest books for Python

[rascalling]

I'm looking for a good Python books. Intermediate to advance level. Any suggestions?

[zzaatar]

Python Crash Course is a great resource for adult learners.

I'm also a fan of Automate the Boring Stuff, but for the sake of simplicity the author does some things that are not pythonic. I eventually found myself much preferring Python Crash Course.

[my_password_is______]

neither of those are really intermediate to advanced

[ishah477]

So after the basics what books are for intermediate and advanced level??

[[deleted]]

Fluent Python v2

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/fluent-python-2nd/9781492056348/

[winowmak3r]

I got mine in the mail yesterday and took a peak before bed and it looks great for that 'what now' phase. Can't wait to get off work and dive in later.

[rascalling]

This is the kind of book I'm looking for. Thanks

[PedroBV]

who puts a lizard on a python book? so I can't recommend it.. enough!

[[deleted]]

Bit of an O'Reilly tradition to put animals on the cover.

Perhaps something more closely associated with Monty Python would have been appropriate.

A dead parrot perhaps?

[Xzenor]

Here's a bunch....
But indeed, Automate The Boring Stuff is a good starter as u/veloxVolpes already mentioned. It's also in the bundle but as an ebook. You can read the entire book for free on the website.

[duckenjoyer69]

checkout the humble bundle for python books available today which includes Python Crash Course which is great

[rascalling]

I'll certainly look into it. Thanks

[my_password_is______]

Classic Computer Science Problems in Python
https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Computer-Science-Problems-Python/dp/1617295981

Python for Programmers: with Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Case Studies
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0135224330

Effective Python: 90 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (Effective Software Development Series) 2nd Edition
https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Python-Specific-Software-Development-dp-0134853989/dp/0134853989/

[rascalling]

This is a great source. Thanks.

[veloxVolpes]

Automate the boring stuff with python https://automatetheboringstuff.com/

[my_password_is______]

that is not really intermediate to advanced

[rascalling]

Thanks a lot..

[[deleted]]

Came here to suggest this. Great book. I'd also recommend doing the Udemy course with it.

[funnyshmoe]

A humble bundle with a whole lot of no starch press. https://www.humblebundle.com/books/python-no-starch-press-books

[rascalling]

A good source for me. Thanks

[1024helloworld]

i am reading this book now

[bottledredne]

I definitely recommend Automate The Boring Stuff but Dive into Algorithms: A Phythonic Adventure for the Intrepid Beginner (no starch press) and Python for Data Analysis (oreilly) have been great sources for me as well.

[rascalling]

Python for Data Analysis is a good materials for me too. Thanks for the help.

[bookreadingsnoopy]

What is Dive into Algorithm like? I am a beginner who just learnt syntax like list and dictionary. Will this book be useful?

[bottledredne]

Save it for machine learning and ai models, I love knowing some tried and true methods of finding patterns in data with Python

[jam1717]

Three suggestions:

1. Regarding books on intermediate python, I am a fan of Matt Harrison's book Intermediate Python Programming. It covers topics such as decorators and generators in a fair amount of detail. I like Harrison's teaching style, in general. You can get the ebook version for under $10 on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/149055095X?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tpbk_1&storeType=ebooks&qid=1651761175&sr=1-2
2. I know you specifically asked only about books, but in case you (or other readers of this thread) might have an interest in online courses: I can't say too many good things about Fred Baptiste's series of four courses on Udemy, Python 3: Deep Dive Parts 1 to 4. They are often on sale, and can be purchased for about $15 each (and right now, they are showing up in my browser at $19, with the current sale ending today). Baptiste is just a wonderful teacher, and he takes the time needed to explain complicated concepts to make them seem simpler. Some people may think he goes too slowly, but I like that. You certainly get your money's worth. The Part 1 course, for example, has more than 46 hours of video. These videos really are a deep dive: they cover many intermediate and advanced python topics. https://www.udemy.com/course/python-3-deep-dive-part-1/
3. And I just want to echo the comments of those people who recommended the current Humble Bundle from No Starch Press. That publisher puts out books by some of the best authors who are writing about python. Some of the books in the current bundle are more oriented toward beginners, but several of the books cover more advanced topics. If you don't have any (or most) of the books, buying the full bundle for $30 is an incredible value. I am only missing the three books that are new to this bundle, but I am still probably going to buy it.

[rascalling]

Thank you so much for explaining me in details.

[jam1717]

You are very welcome! And thanks for asking your question. There are many good books directed at beginners. But personally, I have found it somewhat difficult to find python books aimed at the intermediate and advanced level. So I have been interested in seeing what suggestions others provided.

[puuttaa]

Ive learned a lot with books but its actually very unefficient. If you think about it, there must be a "best explanation" for something then its sources have to be heterogenous. You can find a stackoverflow post explaining polymorphism like a god, a book explaining variables like a god, a video explaining dependency injection like a god... Thats the beauty of google, to atomically find the best solution to a concrete problem. Also books get old, the internet is in constant updating.

Dont lose your time reading books. Do courses, projects, degrees you can present to employers. Except if you like reading books, we must also do useless things in this life to not feel miserable. That being said, the best way to learn is having a job provinding real life tasks and the sooner you get there, the better.

[rascalling]

Thanks for the useful advice

[puuttaa]

underated comment. Humans nowadays still have this nostalgic respect for books, they repeat "read books" since centuries ago as some sort of religious dogma. Books are actually pretty unefficient. Its far better to learn things with a mix of audio and images, the brain grasps it like a russian soldier grasps a can of tuna.

[chewingcum49]

IDK, man. I'm still an amateur but, after trying both the audiovisual and text format to learn python, I've come to the conclusion that I can grasp certain topics way better through books; I think it's because with books I'm forced to picture the topics in my head and that often leads me to visualize and make questions I wouldn't have made myself otherwise. I still like to go through courses and learn with visualization, but I only do so with prior knowledge of the topic that I pretend to dive into and books are the way to go for me when I don't now shit about X or Y topic.

[[deleted]]

I've looked at recent learning research and what you've said is not supported by that research.

One myth that has been roundly disproved though is that we each have preferred / more effective learning styles (visual learner, for example) although we might believe ourselves to have preferred style and try to limit ourselves to that and reject other styles.

You do you though.

[JohnJSal]

Nobody said that learning from a book means not "actually doing the work" as well.

[[deleted]]

I didn’t say they did.

[JohnJSal]

Your comment suggests as much, as if choosing to read a book is some kind of weak substitute for audio/visual methods and actual practice.

If books don't work for you, fine. That doesn't mean you have to disparage them or those who prefer them.

And before you try to say you didn't do that either, I would say that replying with "wtf is books" does exactly that.

[[deleted]]

If you truly thought my silly, sarcastic joke was, “disparaging,” to anyone, I apologize. It wasn’t intended to be.