Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide

I have, over the 20+ years of my I.T. career, used several different varieties of instructional books on computer languages. Head First is, hands down, the best out there in my opinion. As to why:1. I don't have a degree in Computer Science. So programming and languages are quite a bit extra effort for me. I like it that way, to be honest, as anything of value requires effort and patience. I've studied heavily technical resources and have done ok with them, but the process of the Head First series are fun, clearly written, and surprisingly retentive. Above all, they are perfect for a beginner or novice.2. Learning Java, C, C++, or C# is not easy. So, I took a step back and dove into Python (we are a Python shop where I work) as several of the senior devs all told me the best language to start with is Python because it is so easy to learn. Couple that with Head First... and you have a no-brainer can't lose.3. Instaneous Gratification. In the first hours you'll be writing your first programs.Drawbacks: I am on Python 2.7 and these are written for Python 3. Some of the exercises are not as clear cut as the book, but with help from Google I was easily able to find the appropriate commands and re-work the scripts to my configuration.As a result, the drawbacks become a win... and that, in of itself, puts the 5th star on my rating.Dig in, and enjoy what you learn!UPDATE: 1/2/14Still love these course! However, there is an exercise that requires you to set up a dev app for running Twitter OAuth. The book was written for a much older version and it is quite a bit more complicated (and with that secure) than the example exercise in the book. Be sure to check that the most recent edition you are about to purchase, contains updated info on how to set up your developer OAuth, or else you'll hit a brick wall so hard, you're great-great-grandchildren will yell "Ouch!"

it's easy to read. it's a very nice book for the beginner. You can use this book to learn python quickly. It also provides clear thinking path to improve your memory.

The O'Reilly Head First Python is very well done and a valuable guide to get started with one of the hottest software development languages for taking advantage of the new forms of computing on the web. I had already completed the Head First Programming book (which is also excellent) and wanted to learn more about Python programming.What I enjoyed about both books is the highly interactive nature of the learning. There are lots of examples that you build upon early in the book. The examples quickly get into the more exciting areas of the web such as linking to social media platforms, accessing web content, and developing applications on cutting edge platforms like the Google App Engine (GAE).The examples are fun and each one helps you build context to tackle more complicated problems. I highly recommend this and Head First Programming as a way to get started with web and cloud based computing. The book is excellent for a novice and also very useful for someone like me who has not programmed for 25 years and is just curious about this as a hobby. O'Reilly publishing has continued to innovate in making technology accessible to the masses.

Parts of this book are good and give a great intro/overview of whats great about python. However there are a number of exercises that will require background knowledge in web, android, google app engine, django. By the time you get the book a number of the steps they ask you to take will have been deprecated or changed in newer versions (django, android, GAE).If the author wanted to future proof the exercises in this book they should have listed the version used in each exercise, or possible provide lab addendum's on the website.If you are a true Python newb then parts of this book may frustrate/overwhelm you.

I stumbled across this title several times before I decided to buy it as I have a huge collection of books I haven't finished reading.But this has been a different experience altogether.It's actually hard to put down. Like a great novel.The "Head First" approach is very conversational which I have found really engaging.It does jump straight in, so would possibly be a big challenge for the first time programmer.I'm coming to Python from several other scripting and web oriented languages.I'm finding Python definitely meets my needs - being cross-platform, and extremely fast to get working code up and running.I highly recommend this book and will look out for "Head First" in the future as I love the approach.

I bought this book because I liked the 'Head First Java' - A mistake. I guess not all 'Head First' books are created equal. This book is not just a tutorial, but is an introductory tutorial. There are two main problems with this book: 1. Same elementary concept gets repeated over and over and over again. 2. Trying to cover way too many topics, i.e. Web programming. This perhaps is good for someone who has little programming experience who wants to have an overview what Python can do, but is absolutely inadequate (and frustrating) for experienced programmers who want to actually learn something useful Python knowledge.