Core Python Programming (2nd Edition) (Core Series)

• #16 in Best Python Books

34 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

For the last few months I was developing in Perl. But I found myself very frustrated with the syntax, and the Perl books on the market did a so-so job on explaining how everything worked.

And then I came across this book. I had read a review about in the Linux Journal. In 2 days I "inhaled" 200+ pages of this book, about 7 chapters. To begin with, this book is easy to understand, has numerous examples to go long with the text, and does an excellent job in progessing through Python.

The first 400 pages cover syntax, style, functions, classes, modules, etc. If you've ever programmed in another language (C, C++, Java, Perl), Mr. Chun compares Python to each of them in simularities and differences. You should be pick up on these quite easily. The last part of the book in more advanced topics, which I found quite enjoyable.

I don't program in Perl anymore. After reading this book, I wonder why I didn't look at Python first. Aside from a book on Tkinter, this is the only book that I keep on my desk. It's great for teaching and learning, but makes a great reference book also.

Decent text, but watch out, you might think you are getting a lot of information after looking at the size of the book, as it's 1000+ pages. Do keep in mind that this book could be condensed to half it's size or less if the type was reduced to a normal level.

Overall, this book can be read by a wide range of audiences, from the beginner, to well...somewhat of an expert, as it covers some of the "advanced" topics like gui programming and threading. Most likely, this book will be most appealing to a intermediate level Pythonite. There are juicier picks out there in the same price range, like Python Essential Reference, but if you want to exhaustively complete your python library, this book is not a bad buy.

This book has small snippets of insight, unfortunately they are scattered across over 1000 pages. The book seems to take a general format of: 1) "Here is an idea or concept - not sure why I introduced it now;" 2) "The concept just seems to have a logical grouping with these other concepts;" 3) "But we will not go into the concept or the other concepts now;" 5) "We will save them for another section that will then refer you back to this section as a reference for those concepts;" 6) "By the way, did you know that C, C++, Java, Java Script have this vague similarity of implementation but use this code" 7) "Don't bother that this aside has no value for understanding python (if you are literate in other languages, you will get the similarities and differences - if you are not, then why bother introducing irrelevant material)."

In essence, the book seems to say - I have 1000+ pages to write in, therefore organization and relevancy are secondary to filling them up. Also, there tends to be numerous mistakes in the prose as well as in the code. A trip to the book's website shows that, apparently, it took the author three tries (plus a .diff file) to get the MakeTextFile script correct. There are better books out there (along with the python online documentation).

The author's writing style is very similar to Bruce Eckel's. Both authors present somewhat abstract concepts in a clear and concise way that makes reading their material enjoyable. I highly recommend this book for any novice programmer wanting to learn Python. Chun does a good job explaining OOP concepts, so if you only have experience with a procedural language (C, Pascal, etc.)don't worry. If you are a programming expert, purist, guru, or OOP king you may find this book a bit long and shallow.:)

This book is an excellent read for someone new to python but with some other programming knowledge. This was my first exposure to Python (coming from Perl) and I found this book very helpful. The author explains things very thoroughly and intuitively. He writes a lot of prose and not just all code examples, but good explanations also. I found myself reading this most times without a computer in front of me. So by the time I actually sat down and dug into the syntax, I was already very familiar with the basic concepts of the language. It touches on most subjects I was looking for.

It may not be for the extreme beginner or as the end-all reference for gurus, but for us in between its just whats needed.

this is easily one of the better programming books I've read.

If you do not know python or have only immediate knowledge then get this book. it explains all the python concepts in a clear and easy to follow way. I think it is much better than "Learning Python" from Oreilly or the ugly "Python in 24 hours". If you want to learn python, you should consider buying this book. Besides Addison-Wesleys Book "Programming Ruby - A pragmatic programmers guide", this is one of the best introductions to a language I have come across.

Definitely worth 5 stars. The book clearly explains its purpose, and the author makes his methodologies known in the beginning as to how he will approach teaching the language. His explanations are clear and concise, and it does not contradict the DOCS available on the Python web site. He's both humorous and informative, with a relaxed style of writing.

The code in itself is neatly organized, clearly explained, and overall, it works. He does cover a lot of Python basics, the majority of the book are Python basics. He also covers advanced topics such as network programming, extending Python through C/C++ modules, and multithreading. All of which are important, being able to write distributed applications, writing responsive programs, and being able to extend the language are all equally important. Python's power is clearly explained and logically thought-out in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Python but are new to programming.

As a side note, I would also take extra time and check out the DOCS themselves. The author is good, but by no means perfect, supplement the book with the DOCS, it'll help you out a lot more. I have plans on writing more complicated web services using Python, and this book will remain beside me as both a reference and a guide when I'm lost.

I have been programming in Python for a couple of years. "Core" has been on my bookshelf, but I didn't consult it much until I wanted to learn CGI ("Web") programming, and thought I would see what I could find in it.

It was a revelation! The explanations of basic concepts are very clear, yet short and to the point, and cover all of the basic information. As one example, the explanation of client-server architecture in the chapter on network programming really gives you the basic concepts. I am extremely impressed.

So I think this book would be a very good choice for someone in the beginner to intermediate range. In my case, I'm in the intermediate category for some topics, but for some topics I am a complete beginner. So this book was just what I needed.

The explanations are so clear and well-written that it is easy to give "Core" 5 stars. I suggest that you ignore the reviews that complain about the big type. The big type makes the book a pleasure to read: as one reviewer said, you can just sit down and read this book, even if you're not in front of your computer. The only disadvantage to the big type is that it might give a prospective buyer the impression that this book is not as solid as it really is.

If you have been coding in another programming language and if it's OO as well, then you can pick up the python syntax from the tutorial that comes along with the release or tons of web sites can teach you the same. It's pretty straight forward. I have to say here that this book is very weak on the advanced concepts. There are'nt many interesting examples in "advanced topics". I c'd finish it off in a week's time. I think this book is a little too expensive for it's content. If they c'd slash the price then this book is recommended for it covers the basics pretty well.

I have read the first 100 pages of the book. The author assumes that you know something about programming, so it is not for absolute beginners. As long as you know the basics of progamming you should be fine. The book is divided into 2 sections: Core Python and advanced topics( regular expressions, network programming, Web programming, and threads, etc). He starts off with a crash course in python covering all major topics of python. Then he covers the topics in detail. I have read other python books before and this one is by far the best. The author is a very good writer. He writes in a very clear and logical manner. The topics are covered thorougly. I haven't seen many errors in the text, so that's good.

This is written in the style of Bruce Eckel's books on C++ and Java. If you liked those, then you will probably like this one. Written in an accessible prose style, it covers the language syntax in exhaustive detail. It's weaker on applications, with a thin discussion of GUI and Web programming. If you have programmed in Java or C++, this is not a bad choice (though, personally, I prefer PYTHON ESSENTIAL REFERENCE, which is much terser).

This was my first Python book and I was learning Python for the first time after spending years in Java . I must say this was a great book for someone trying to correlate concepts with another programming language . It bring out the powerful concepts on Python very well especially the string/list functionality. I also liked its treatment of Object Oriented Functionality as well as the description of Python's functional features. The language is lucid and the author gets straight down to an example without beating around the bush. I am giving it 4 stars only because I didn't find its treatment of Regular Expressions as extensive as I hoped and I had to refer to other books/online to get more examples .

A few years ago, I had the privelege to take a Python class (my first programming class) with Wesley Chun. This book had not yet gone to print, but we were using photocopied chapters as our text for the class. At the time, I poured myself into learning the language, and now I am extremely grateful that I chose Python as the first language to learn and had this book to learn from!

The exercises can be quite challenging, and the text needs editing in places, but overall it's very clear and consistent throughout. (If you already are a programmer, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting a handle on what's going on from the examples). This book also makes a fantastic reference - there are times when I have referred to it more often than the Python reference itself.

The Python language induces good programming habits, and this book really brings this quality to light. A great first language to learn, and a great book to learn with.

Note: I'd also love to see a Part II dealing with more advanced material (particularly async network programming, AI, and even more web programming).

A simple test. If you own a slew of reference books on Python (as I do), consider which one you reach for most often while programming? My answer is this book by Wesley Chun. The authors conversational style and the books clear and consistent layout make this a pleasure as a reference. Here's to hoping Wesley Chun publishes a Volume 2 dealing with advanced topics (especially given the new language features added since publication). This is one of the few books dealing with ANY programming language that can justify a [$$] price tag. If you are not using this as a text book you are cheating your students. And cheating is not cool.

I've been a big fan of the Core programming books, including the Core Java volumen 1/2 series. This book I found while skimming my local library and decided to give this little language a try. I understand that this is an "outdated" book that covers Python 2.0, the latest being 2.4.x as of this writing. However, the material covered in this book is still very valuable.

The author does a good job of introducing the language and arguing why Python should grab your interest as an easy to read, easy to maintain, easy to learn language. Several chapters into the book, without writing a single line of code, I could already understand exactly what the code is doing. Python, as taught in this book, sells itself as a very understandable language.

Furthermore, the book provides excercises in the end of each chapter that helps you think in Python when trying to solve the problems. If you've really studied the chapters, the solution to these questions will seem very obvious. As the Python adage goes, "there's only one obvious way of doing it."

The overall format of this book should be a model for how new languages are treated. Get this book if you want to add Python to your programming tool chest. If you're already familiar with one programming language you'll be writing productive scripts in a matter of hours. If this is your first language, in the order of days!

One of the best python books I've read-- topped only by Python Bible 2.1. Core Python Programming is a great resource dealing with the main language and many modules.

I started book reading Acknowledgements,Where i found name of
Guido Van Rossum,creator of Python in Technical Review Panel of this book.That itself establishes the credibility.

I recommend Python as the first object oriented program to learn,for that this book is defintely worth.Author explains everything in a very simple manner,including how the language modules itself are constructed.

Explaining data structured related to language is basic requirement for any programming book - This book does exceptionaly well in this .I personally liked the part - Extending Python.Also this book covers JPython - Java avatar of Python.

Good Book filled with excellent examples. Much better and an easier read than the O'Reilly Python books.

The author goes into goes into a lot of detail regarding strings, numbers, lists and and like. In fact, it's so much detail that most beginners might feel overwhelmed. But it's reasonable for a person with some experience. The only problem is that the advanced topics are given less detail than I would have liked. Networking, regular expressions, and the like do not get as much attention as I would have liked.

Fellow Programmers,
I am new to Python and found this book to be a comprehensive source of information. I started off with Java a few years ago in my spare time, however; Core Python is an excellent book for an understanding concepts in OOP for both languages. I thoroughly enjoy the book and the Python Language itself. My only criticism is that most of the programs are short, but from cover to cover; the reader will walk away with a rock solid foundation in python programming.

L.R. Young

Sure, the book is huge ( over 1000 pages ) but it is a rather easy
reading (then again I already knew a few other programming languages)
and it covers the kind of details about the language the I enjoy
learning about...origin of things, history/evolution, why something is
done the way it is (performance issues), code snippets here and then a
break down of such code in plain English; at the end of a chapter a
table with a summary of the statements/functions/methods covered,
etc., etc. etc.

Really a great book, I highly recommend it.

This may be a good book for beginners. For experienced programmers who just want to know what's new and unique of Python, it's hard to find what you need fast. I found Dive into Python is better for me.

This book is an excellent introduction to the Python scripting language. It may be a little slow for you if you are already familiar with other programming or scripting languages, but I think you will still learn some important things.

One comment on the 1 star review. Programming does involve math. In order to do really exciting things, math is a must. Giving a book one star because the author uses too many math examples is like rating a movie poorly because the director put too much acting in it.

I got this book because of its many positive reviews, but I'm not happy with it.

I'm a professional programmer. C++ is my main language, but I know C, Java, Perl, Smalltalk. I have used Python a fair amount in the past; I wanted to go through a Python book because I'm starting a new project in Python and the language has changed since I last used it.

My main criticism of this book (2nd edition, 3rd printing) is its sloppy production. It is loaded with typos, broken code, and other errors. I'm surprised that most other reviewers didn't comment on this fact. The author knows about many of these errors and has corrections posted on the web, where he airily excuses the book's errors as being "due to lack of time or priority during the highly-compressed editing phase." If he or the publisher really cared, many of these errors would have been corrected by the third printing. (Many would not require resetting even a full line of type.)

As other reviewers have said, Chun's writing is rather disorganized and conversational. That's not to my taste, but evidently it suits lots of people. For the length of the book, the depth is not great.

Some reviewers say that this is the best book they have seen for beginning programmers. Maybe they are not familiar with Kernighan and Ritchie's classic, _The C Programming Language_. That book, in my opinion, is the standard of excellence.

Overall I prefer Beazley's _Python Essential Reference_ 3rd edition to Chun's book. The Reference is terse and maybe not suitable for a novice, but it is thorough, accurate, well organized, and carefully produced. Chun does provide exercises after each chapter; that is the book's main positive feature, in my opinion.

Looks like it's long and hard to read, but the material is actually very easy to read/follow. Good topic coverage in 2nd edition.

One of the best python books... Make sure you complete at least some of the exercises at the end of each chapter. If you are looking for complex examples, try 'cookbooks' or similar.

If you need hand holding while reading the book or learning python, take Wesley's course [...]

The text covers a wide range of topics but doesn't dive very deep. The font in the book is pretty large and there is copious amounts of whitespace that is wasted. It would be a decent read through for a beginner-to-immediate person but you will need to do much more to round out your Python knowledge.

The main fault of this book is that it is very verbose. The author constantly repeats himself. Whoever edited it did a very poor job. The book should either be shorter/cheaper or have more useful content. Its not a bad book but there must be something better out there. Essential Python and Python Developers Handbook look worth trying.

I recently changed my job. My new company uses Python as the main technology. Before starting this job, I didn't know Python at all. The project I worked on was on a tight schedule. Fortunately I got this book and I can immediately starting writing code in Python on the first day. The book is written in a very easy to read and understandable way. It covers almost everything you need to know about Python. The "Core Tip", "Core Note" and "Core Style" sections are especially useful and helpful. They are not just for the Python beginner to develop good coding skills and habits. They are also very valuable advice for the people who already know Python. If you want to learn Python quickly or if you want to expand your Python knowledge, this is a book for you.

The author goes into great detail regarding strings, numbers, lists and and like. In fact, it's so much detail that most beginners might feel overwhelmed. The flip side is that the advanced topics are given less detail than I would have liked. Networking, regular expressions, Tkinter and the like do not get as much attention as I would have liked. I do use the book as a general reference, but I've had to turn to other titles for the advanced topics.

This was recommended in a review on Slashdot, but I'm a little disappointed. Sometimes Chun just gives code with no explanation, and other times he glosses over examples of how to use things in favor of prose. I've also found some typos, perhaps the most amusing of which is his repeatedly calling Python creator Guido van Rossum "van Rossum Guido" in one part of the book.

I haven't read any other Python books, but even if this one really is a best-of-breed, IMHO it is just so-so.

Hence, I decided after about 400 pages to read other things instead. I got what I wanted out of it and have it for reference in the future. Besides, my retention of programming languages apart from practice is low, and at the mo, I don't have need or opportunity to exercise more language features than I've used up to now.

I'm relatively new to Python, having programmed in 'C' and Pascal for many years, and have found this book to be a very good first book to read. As a programmer relatively new to Python I've found that it provides me with very good coverage of the language and its most popular modules. It is not a reference book like "Python In A Nutshell", which I would also recommend. It won't be sufficient if you plan on writing complex GUI applications using wxPython, but there's another good book available for that. Thanks to this book and a couple of others I've been able to produce several useful Python applications. If you're a programmer new to Python, I would recommend this book as one of the first you read.

This book is very well-written and readable. It covers a comprehensive list of Python topics, including the newer Python features like decorators, generators, and some of the resource acquisition stuff. (the with statement)

Don't be afraid of the 1000+ pages, the pages fly by because the writing is not dense.
It also talks about "Pythonic" ways of doing things, and which functions you should call and which you shouldn't use. (because of being depracated, or being less efficient)

My favorite chapter is the one on functions, it talks a little bit about how to do functional programming with Python and the tools that are available for it.

Overall, definitely worth the money, and I think it's one of the best intros to a programming language book that I have come across, and shows all the cool and unique constructs and things that you can do in Python without overwhelming newcomers to the language.

I read the first half of the book along with Python's online documentation and I was able to connect to a database, read & write files, display a web page and a few other things. I don't think I'll start using Python in lieu of Perl but, that's another discussion. It's easy to read; has a good typeface & layout. It's a good intro to Python and may make a reasonable reference.

I am interested in python mostly for it's similiarity to perl and the language's usefulness in systems administration. This book has a lot of math in it. It is just ok.