Python Essential Reference: Amazon.co.uk: David Beazley: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

For anyone who programs in Python, David M. Beazley's Python Essential Reference, 2nd Edition will serve as a capable and exceptionally competent guide to current Python syntax and library modules. Concise, yet authoritative, this book sets a high standard as a one-volume reference to this powerful object-oriented programming language.

Although the author claims that this title is not really a tutorial, the first 100 pages actually provide an excellent guide to the basics of Python as a language. Geared especially to the experienced programmer seeking to see what's different (and potentially better) about Python, sections on the language itself will let you ramp up on the basic and advanced topics. Short sections with code excerpts that show off essential language features will help you learn or enhance your knowledge of Python quickly. Standout sections here include excellent coverage of object-oriented features, like "special methods" that will let you add custom classes to Python that are just as flexible as built-in classes.

The heart of this book is the 250-page reference section. The author concentrates on all current Python modules (eschewing deprecated or obsolete APIs). Starting with basic modules for Python services and operating system functions, and including handling strings and math functions, the author explains and illustrates each module with short sample code, along with a full listing of APIs. Sections on Python's impressive support for virtually all networking protocols (including sockets, HTTP, FTP, and e-mail) are a standout and will arguably justify the cost of this title for many Python developers. Later modules look at undocumented functions, plus there's an in-depth guide to integrating Python and C code. (This material can even help you build custom Python modules.)

With a remarkably clear presentation style, this well-organised reference offers a compact and worthy guide to today's Python that's sure to meet the needs of many working programmers. --Richard Dragan

Product Description

Python Essential Reference, Second Edition, is the definitive guide to the Python programming language. Designed for programmers, it covers the core language, more than 100 modules in the standard library, and the techniques used to extend Python with compiled procedures in C or C++. Coverage expands upon and clarifies existing Python documentation - especially for advanced topics, including operating system interfaces, threads, network programming, and Unicode.

Concise, to the point, and extensively indexed, readers will find this volume packed with information not previously available in any other single reference source. Updated for Python 2.1, it is a must-have for any serious programmer wanting to develop advanced Python applications.

As a comprehensive reference to the Python programming language, this book will help you:

Learn about the features in Python 2.0 and 2.1

Master the details of Python types, operators, and the execution model

Discover the details of Unicode and internationalization support

Learn the details of operating system interfaces, threads, and network-programming modules

Build C/C++ extensions to Python

Make effective use of the Python library

Find the information you need to start developing advanced Python applications

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Excellent reference text 30 Sep 2002

By Simon Ward VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Coming to Python from a background in Perl programming I found
this book to be very useful indeed - old habits die hard, and having written Perl code for the past 8 years it took a bit of a mental gear change to adapt to Python.

Although it's not intended to be a tutorial book, there is a tutorial section at the beginning which will get the experienced programmer up to speed with the `Python way' of doing things in fairly short order.

The rest of the book is exactly what it says it is - a reference guide, which covers all of the standard Python modules at a reasonable level of detail, including identifying differences between Win32 and Unix systems. People writing cross-platform Python programs will find the latter extremely useful.

In summary: a good text for existing Python programmers or those with a programming background who are new to Python. Not so good for beginners, but useful once you've got the basics down.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Best Python book I've used 2 July 2002

By "big_gster"

I have lots of books on Python being a full time python programmer and I find the one I use the most is this one. It is very clearly written succinct and easy to understand. It is also covers a lot of python extensions and I found the section on wrapping c extensions very useful.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

An outstanding reference book 31 Aug 2001

By A Customer

This is the Python 2.1 revision of the book that already has a great acclaim in its older version. The book is brief and to the point with small and very well selected examples, often illustrating techniques, tricks and idioms in a way that is impossible to do in running text. For the computer language savy, there is no need for another Python textbook. For beginners, it is a bit too brief as a reader, but very useful as a reference. It has a very good index.