by John Zelle
"Disguised as a Python textbook, it's really an introduction to programming, using Python as the preferred medium for beginners." -- Guido van Rossum, Creator of Python
Honestly, Zelle just nailed it. The examples are illustrative and convincing: his is one of the few books that manages to avoid the trap of silly and unreal examples that therefore provide no context for a student. His writing is crystal clear and very well organized, replete with very helpful diagrams and illustrative examples (did I mention the examples?), and he has obviously paid a lot of attention to the aspects of programming that students find most difficult.
by Timothy Budd
For fairly experienced programmers, when they want to learn yet another language, they don't want a 1200-page encyclopedia; they want brief and to the point. This book is that -- it covers the basics in less than 180 pages. After that there are another 60 pages of case studies, then some appendices, including a 20-page Python summary.
by Mark Lutz
This book is a 1200 Page Encyclopaedia. It's a very comprehensive book on Python. This book is only for the Patient. There are no Practical Exercises in this book. This book is only good as a companion to another programming book on Python.
Python for Software Design is a concise introduction to software design using the Python programming language. Intended for people with no programming experience, this book starts with the most basic concepts and gradually adds new material.
Head First Python
