On 18 February 2011 21:37, Florian Ledermann <[email protected]>wrote:
> Hi all, > > I really enjoyed last night's meeting, too. Although I have to admit I > didn't really get a lot done today, as the reduced time I spent awake I was > following pointers and ideas from yesterday's meeting :P > > We have been talking about books and learning resources quite a lot, so I > wanted to ask if anyone has looked at the "Pro Python" book by Marty Alchin > yet? > > http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1430227575 > > Is it recommendable material? The reviews on Amazon seem bogus (one 5-star > and one 1-star) so I couldn't get a clear opinion online. > > Hey Flo, I've actually had Marty Alchin's Pro Django book for some time and based on that, I decided to buy his Pro Python book a few months ago. Quite naturally there's a large number of beginners' Python books out there but a shortage of more advanced books so it was nice to see this published. I like Marty Alchin's style of writing and find it to be clear and concise. Even if you're reasonably knowledgeable about the "advanced" topics he covers such as metaclasses, descriptors, introspection and multiple inheritance, I think the book benefits from the fact that these topics are backed up with excellent examples of how they work, and just as importantly, how they might usefully be used in ways you might not have seen before. In fact, Chapter 11 walks through the building of a real world Python library which can be found on PyPI (try pip install Sheets) using the principles outlined in the previous chapters. The other aspect of the book I found very useful was the fact that it is based on Python 3 but all examples are annotated and compared with the "legacy" Python 2 equivalent where necessary. I've gotten a lot more comfortable with Python 3 by reading this book and better understand the improvements in the language from Python 2 to Python 3. The other advanced Python book I've read (and reread) is Python In a Nutshell by Alex Martelli. It's based on Python 2.5 and getting a bit out of date, but most of it is still very relevant for later Python 2.x versions. (I think a Python 3 version might be in the works). It's a much heftier and more detailed book and acts as much a reference text as well as being a book you'd read from cover to cover. You're more than welcome to borrow the Pro Django book from me! I could also bring it to the next meeting too if anyone's interested. On a related note, we've been approached by Packt Publishing asking if any of us are interested in reviewing any of the following books on our blogs or on Amazon: * Python 2.6 Graphics Cookbook * Python 2.6 Text Processing: Beginners Guide * Python Text Processing with NLTK 2.0 Cookbook * Django JavaScript Integration: AJAX and jQuery I'm reasonably interested in reviewing the last book on the list, but if you feel strongly about that one or any of the others, let me know and I'll put you in touch. N.B. I am in no way affiliated with Packt Publishing or any of the books mentioned in this email. Cheers, Safe > Best, > > Flo > > -- > To post: [email protected] > To unsubscribe: [email protected] > Feeds: http://groups.google.com/group/python-north-west/feeds > More options: http://groups.google.com/group/python-north-west > -- To post: [email protected] To unsubscribe: [email protected] Feeds: http://groups.google.com/group/python-north-west/feeds More options: http://groups.google.com/group/python-north-west
