Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

Pathetic book. The book goes on and on and on. parts 1-5 could have been condensed into 2 parts at the max. The author should be banned from Writing. Never in my life in any programming language, I learnt Scope before functions. This author does that. Even after you read this tome, you wont be writing practical code. You need to read another book of his. "Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional" is a much better book but then that book is not fully updated for Python 3.X. Dont buy this book. It is a pain for your head.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

Firstly, the good bits: This book is the single most comprehensive resource for learning to program in Python. As a very experienced Python programmer, I found it an invaluable reference for getting my skills up to speed on the new 3.X features.

Now the down side: This book is the single most comprehensive resource for learning to program in Python. If I was starting out it would scare me away to a nice fluffy language like Ruby.

Mark appears to cover every single nook and cranny of every single Python feature. This is great for programmers, but not so if you are starting out.

I think that Learning Python should have been split across at least two volumes. The Advanced volume would be my desktop reference and the Beginners volume would be required reading for all my students.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

This is a good book but the simple concepts are made too complex. Python is a very powerful and productive language, but to try to emphasize that point by revisiting simple concepts and ideas of the language in practically every page of the book only leads to confusion. Another point is how lengthy some topics get. 185 pages on the topic of modules is just a bit too much. It is the same with lists too with the difference that the almost 400 pages that is devoted to lists is scattered all over the book. Some topics although very important get a passing mention in say one paragraph or half a section under its own title, and the main part of the discussion is referred to some other part of the book under a heading or topic that is entirely beside the point of the chapter or current topic. Another point that a user also mentioned is that the book does make one a slow reader. It is in part due to the author's style of writing and in part due to the how the material is structured.

Having said that, I have to be fair and admit that Python is not your usual language and I certainly believe that contrary to the popular belief it is much more complex and harder to learn than C. I read Kernigan and Ritchie's book about twenty years ago and I do not remember as being puzzled and lost as I am with Python. Which is not surprising at all. A language that has lists and objects, the most advanced ideas in any programming environment, before chars and integers and floats as its basic types is not an easy language. In addition the freedom that the language provides its users, and by extension its developers, just is a recipe for a product that is impossible to comprehend readily in is entirety. Only programmers that already have a good grasp of the advanced concepts of programming languages can appreciate fully the power of Python. It is the same with other object-enamored, "easy" languages like Ruby for example. Add to that different versions of Python that just destroys the fun one hopes to have after the learning curve flattens and starts to fall. The problem shows in every Python book ever written. I am yet to see a Python book that can even organize the idea of the language well and then proceed to explain different parts of it.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

I am trainer by profession. This book fulfils the need for a book that is comprehensive and also explains how the features work together with alternate implementation possibilities. I recommend this book to architects and people who want to understand trends in programming. A difficult concept cannot be made easier to understand. The book makes it as easy as possible.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

This book is horrible!
It has a lot of useless information, which does not help you to learn Python.
The writing is unorganized and confusing and the authors goes on and on about his dislike of other Languages instead of actually writing about the language Python.
The first time I actually regretted a purchase from O'Reilly.

Deserves 0 Stars.

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H

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

This book is a perfect introduction to Python, but it is too long and dry..

This book has two problems:

First: it is around 1200 pages, with some extra effort it could be made much less than that.. there are other books about Python of around 600 pages that describe the same material and provide more examples and even describe some topics in more depth (Like regular expressions for example).

Second: The physical copy is huge. Which makes me wonder... what will O'reilly guys do about the upcoming Programming Python new edition? That one is around 1600 pages. Will the hard copy of the book be split? We will wait and see..

In summary, the book might have few cons, but it is still a great book and reference for Python fans.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

Personally, I have not finished reading it yet, but oh man I don't know about anyone else, but it is a hard read. It made me feel like a slow reader, but after doing about 4 or 5 online speed reading tests, I am average, I read about 228 words per minute with a %65 comprehension rate. It sure does feel good to finish a chapter though,but then I see the time and realize how long it took me. To go through some of the examples, try to comprehend everything I read, and the amount of material there is to read, takes me about 10 min on average per page. Also I do not know about it being unwieldly because I am reading it from safari books online, but sheesh as long as it is taking me to read it I might as well of bought the hard print, but I do like all the in-depth knowledgle I attain. This book is certainly in-depth, and its funny cause Mark Lutz regularly mentions how he has to keep the scope of the book consise and that many concepts are to advanced, but sheeze I feel like what else can there be to learn after reading this book. Its over 1,000 pages of in depth material. Even alot of my calculus books dont get that big, unless it covers multi variable calculus as well, but I did not think learning the 'basics' of the python language would be as difficult as differential, intrgral, and multivariable calculus combined!!! And I make this comparison becuase this book is about as big as my my calculus text. And whats even more depressing is that there is even more to learn after this book!!! But hey I am more then confident that after reading this text, and the soon to be programming python that I will have python expert theoritical knowledge, it will just be a matter of lots and lots of practice to make it practical knowledge.

Well, better prepare to sit down and read 8 hours a day for about 30 or so consecutive day to finish this book, then about another 8 hours a day 30 consecutive days to finish the next book. Its a good thing I don't have a job and that I am not going to school for the summer. (Actually I took the summer off just to read these books cause I really REALLY want to master python.) But then I plan on teaching myself c and c++ to, so shoot!

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

I've been programming since I was 7 (21 now), so I've seen my fair share of programming books. This is by far the best I've ever read. It covers a ridiculous amount of ground very thoroughly, which is often very difficult to do. Lutz pulls it off somehow. I really can't think of any cons for this book.

Another commenter said the book was unwieldy. That's true. It's a very, very large book, but in my experience it lies flat nicely. I'd much rather have this book's content than a smaller size.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

I don't understand other review comments about the book being too big. Too big or incomplete? I'll take big. Having worked in software development for over 20 years, I've learned many languages. This book does a very nice job of covering all the bases for Python. Easy to read, great examples, and I know I'll be using it as a reference for many years to come. I also appreciate the ability to download the examples from this website.

If you want to learn Python and like doing old school with an actual hardcopy book like I do, this is the book to have.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Learning Python, 4th Edition:

Let me be clear upfront: this review is completely unrelated to the quality of the content of the 4th Edition. Having had the previous three and other Lutz books, I have no doubt that the content is accurate, timely, and easy to understand. But.

At nearly 1200 pages and 3.5 pounds, this book is too big. It's too unwieldy to hold and read and it's too many pages for the lay-flat binding. Due to the gluing-in-portions process, the unbound-side pages are not uniform with one another, giving the volume a feeling of imminent disintegration -- which I might have to induce by tearing the book in half just so I can hold it to read without spraining my wrists.

From reading the table of contents, I believe it was appropriate to have the contents be in a single title, but the decision to manufacture as a single book rather than a Volume I, Volume II, and (in my judgment) Volume III was a bad one. This book is, quite simply, unreadable. Which is a shame, since as I said I bet the contents are awesome.

O'Reillians: PLEASE break this book up for its second printing. Maybe give us first-printing buyers a discount. :-)