David M. Beazley

Usually I'm an O'Reilly snob, but this is the best Python book out there, including O'Reilly's Programming Python. I used it when I was learning the language, and continue to rely on it as my primary reference. This book and the online documentation are all you'll need

This book remains my only Python reference - and it has always got something useful if you look carefully. If I have one criticism it is that there are not enough examples of what you can do with the all the thousands of Python modules that are described (briefly) in this book.

I also like the fact that Doune Castle, which features on the cover, was one of the main locations for the filming of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", but this is never mentioned inside; some one at Addison Wesley show more has a sense of humour. show less

A very good reference for the Python programming language. The book is based on version 1.5.2 of Python so it might be a bit dated by now. It is broken up into two sections. The first, and smaller, section covers the language itself with useful examples throughout. The second section consists of two appendicies which cover the Python libraries and extending and embedding Python.

From the back cover - Python Essential Reference is a definitive guide to the Python programming language. Designed show more for programmers, it covers the core language, more than 100 modules in the standard library, and the extension building techniques used to integrate Python with programs written in C and C++. Coverage expands upon and clarifies existing Python documentation - especially for advanced topics including operating system interfaces, threads, and network programming. show less