Question about the Python Cookbook: How much of this is new?

[RickMuller]

I had a question about the second edition of the Python Cookbook. I own
and have thoroughly enjoyed the first edition of the Python Cookbook.
How much of the second edition is new? Is this "essential reading" if I
already have the first edition? I realize that there are new sections
that describe language features through Python 2.4, but is this, say,
10% of the book (in which case I won't buy a new copy) or is it >25% of
the book (in which case I will). The Chapter (#3) on Time/Money that's
posted on the O'Reilly website is great (and entirely new, if memory
serves).

Thanks in advance...

Rick

 

[Robert Kern]

I had a question about the second edition of the Python Cookbook. I own
and have thoroughly enjoyed the first edition of the Python Cookbook.
How much of the second edition is new? Is this "essential reading" if I
already have the first edition? I realize that there are new sections
that describe language features through Python 2.4, but is this, say,
10% of the book (in which case I won't buy a new copy) or is it >25% of
the book (in which case I will). The Chapter (#3) on Time/Money that's
posted on the O'Reilly website is great (and entirely new, if memory
serves).

Quoting Trent Mick, who answered this question in another thread:

"""Here is an excerpt from the preface (typing errors are mine):

If you already own the first edition, you may be wondering whether
you need this second edition, too. We think the answer is "yes." The
first edition had 245 recipes; we kep 146 of those (with lots of
editing in almost all cases), and added 192 new ones, for a total of
338 recipes in this second e4dition. So, over half of the recipes in
this edition are complete,ly new, and all the recipes are updated
to apply to today's Python -- releases 2.3 and 2.4. Indeed, this
update is the main factor which lets us have almost 100 more recipes
in a book of about the same size. The first edition covered all
versions from 1.5.2 (one sometimes earlier) to 2.2; this one focuses
fimly on 2.3 and 2.4. Thianks to the greater port of today's Python,
and, even more4, thanks to the fact that this edition avoids the
"historical" treatises about how you had to do things in Python
versions releases 5 or more years ago, we were able to provide
substantially more currently relevant recipes and information in
roughtly the same amount of space.

Trent
"""

So yeah, buy it.

--
Robert Kern
(e-mail address removed)

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
-- Richard Harter

 

[Nick Vargish]

So yeah, buy it.

Seconded. My copy arrived from ORA yesterday and I'm still giddy with
delight. Even if you have the first edition, the second includes a lot
of recipes that leverage or demonstrate the new features in 2.3 and
2.4.

Nick