Starting Out with Python (2nd Edition) (Gaddis Series)

Gaddis has been a most friendly "first tour" of Python and modern object programming.When I needed to go back and review certain features of the language in order to solve problems that my friends were throwing at me to code, the index was wonderful and turned the book into a useful working tool.Gaddis never hit me over the head with any "clever" coding. However over time programming patterns became clear through his teaching examples. I'm an older fellow bringing only a bit of "procedural" FORTRAN experience on a mainframe from years ago. Gaddis brought me into modern python including sequential file processing and exceptions, object-oriented programming, and class design including inheritance and polymorphism.Avoiding small, crimped printing, Addison-Wesley opted to publish the work with a pleasing much larger page layout, which is much better for learning and mark-up. I read the chapters straight through in the suggested order, and at no point did I ever feel that I had "hit a wall" or feel overwhelmed by the new concepts being presented.Summing up, this book interweaves the theoretical with the really practical in a wonderful way. The other point I'd make is that the book succeeds admirably in building up self-confidence in the reader. Recommended. Definitely worth the money.My second python book will be "Python Programming Fundamentals" by Kent D. Lee, because it is the only python book I know of that integrates elementary python teaching with use of a debugger in an easy "Integrated Development Environment." Lee suggests the free "Wingware IDE 101," available online, and makes himself available to readers via email.My third python book will be "The Quick Python Book," 2nd edition, by Naomi Ceder. Quite a bit more addvanced than the other two books, Ceder tours many more features and options of python and so prepares one mentally to dig into the standard language documentation. Its index is good.

Okay first of all, if you are me and have ZERO knowledge of programming before reading this book: continue with this review. If, however, you know a decent amount about programming: this review is not going to help you (in my opinion).PROS: This book is SO DETAILED, that I was able to teach myself programming on python. I DO NOT learn from books...EVER. But, I took this class online and there were no notes. This book is incredible, and if I managed to get a perfect score on every program I did from just reading this book...THEN YOU CAN TOO. P.S. I go to U of M (go blue) so do not think that this was an easy feat...IT WAS THE BOOK!CONS: Honestly, not many. The only one that sticks out, is if you know a lot about programming already, this book will do squat for you. It does not show incredibly advanced programs, just the main parts about python.My recommendation is that the book is fairly cheap and very good so buy it.ONE LAST THING AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!!Buy it USED!I got suckered into buying a more expensive one because it came with that "KEY" that comes with the book. The "KEY" is just the download for python: which is a FREE SOFTWARE! I didn't even use the key. Still unsure...look it up, just to be safe in case I'm an idiot (but seriously, look it up so you don't feel like you took advice that may backfire on you, always good to be on the safe side). Good luck in your choice :)

I needed this for a college class, and was quite happy with how easily I could re size it, and that the words were always clear. The book itself is good so far; I haven't found any errors yet. I will update this review if I find any.

This is the required textbook for an Intro to Programming course that I took. Many would regard Python as a great language to learn programming and I would agree. The book is organized very logically and each chapter builds on the the previous.

This is a great introduction to programming textbook. I have almost finished my first semester using this book and it has been great. I highly recommend it to anyone whether they are planning to learn on their own or if they are learning in a class.

Used this in a beginner's programming class, and if you go through the exercises and really read the text, it is easy to grasp and understand. Would highly recommend for anyone that is required to buy the book.

This was a required text for my college course but has not been highly useful.Explanation and progression of material is okay but doesn't match course very well. In my case, this text seems to be provided as a supplementary reference. In this role, it is sometimes not very effective - topics and/or syntax examples are difficult to find when scanning through. Also, alternate commands/functions sometimes not found.

Great book for getting into the Python script language. In many cases, it seemed like the author would ramble on and talk "about" key information, but not really "get to the point." However, that may be a personal thing with me. If you have an ArcGIS license with a maintenance agreement, complete this book and then take all the Python courses you can find for free via ESRI. The combination of those two sources was great!Gaddis covers a lot of information that may not be, in itself, critical to the "how" part of learning, but provides a more in-depth understanding of what it going on... sometimes not so "to the point". the ESRI courses go straight to the point, and can nail down what you can learn from Gaddis.Overall, a very good text and reference!

Great

Comprehensive guide to learning Python.