first book about python

[John Salerno]

I want to learn python.
I plan to buy a book. I always find printed material more convenient than
reading on-line tutorials.
I don't know PERL or any other scripting language. I only know some BASH
programming. I am looking for a book which will help me get started and
should contain the foundations. I am not looking for the Python bible.
Any recommendations?
Ioannis

I definitely recommend Learning Python (2nd ed.) from O'Reilly.

Despite what some may say, I do *not* recommend Beginning Python
(Apress) because it moves too quickly for a beginner and doesn't explain
everything fully.

 

[Ron Rogers Jr.]

I want to learn python.

I am looking for a book which will help

me get started and should contain the foundations. I am not
looking for the Python bible. Any recommendations?
Ioannis

Hmm, no one has mentioned Python Programming for the Absolute
Beginner (second edition) by Michael Dawson.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1598631128/102-5443736-1342538?v=glance&n=283155

Yes, it's very game oriented, but it's also very newbie oriented.

I've slso downloaded some Python tutorials:

I've got the Python version of How to Think Like a Computer
Scientist:

http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/

And Dive into Python (available online as well as paper):

http://diveintopython.org/

Hope this helps.

CronoCloud (Ron Rogers Jr.)

 

[Steve]

I recommend "The Quick Python Book" by Harms and McDonald. Its
strength is its brevity and *readability* -- you can actually just sit
down and read it and enjoy it. It doesn't cover the newest features of
Python or the most advanced, but that is not necessary in a beginner's
book.

Once you're up to speed on Python, as a sysadmin you'll probably find
"Python Network Programming" useful. It is not a beginner's book, but
it is addressed to the kind of issues that you'll probably want to be
using Python for.

 

[gregarican]

Once you are ready to take the plunge another good document is the
Python tutorial written by Guido Von Rossum himself
(http://docs.python.org/tut/). It's not a full fledged 300 page
manifesto but it's covers the basic of the language.