Project-Based Introduction to Programming - A Hands-On

As someone who has dabbled in many programming languages, I was looking more for a guided tour of the Python language than an intro to programming that happened to use Python, and Python Crash Course was just what I was looking for. I especially appreciated the section on code testing, which is almost never covered in beginner books and should be. The author has also taken the time to cover the two versions of Python you might find in the wild, and also provide instructions for Windows, Linux and Mac.

I did have two issues, both of which were handled very well:

First, there was one place where I copied the book's code exactly but kept getting a different result than the book said I should, and I could only get the expected result if I changed the code a bit. I ended up emailing the author about it, not really expecting a reply at all, but within a day I had a detailed response from him confirming that I had found a problem with that section, why it had happened, and that it would be fixed for future editions. Cool!

Second, I ran into some characters in the Kindle version being shifted to the right, + and - most notably, which caused problems like += and -= turning into =+ and =-. I tried to compensate for it, but I got really stuck in the alien shooter section because of one that slipped through, which I only caught after bug hunting for an embarrassingly long time. After that I wrote to the publisher, who requested screenshots and also sent me a revised file with corrected formatting. Excellent customer service there.

The only thing that really detracts from this book is the method of teaching is the more passive "type all this code out and then we'll talk about what it does afterward". I prefer the more active "now that you've learned this new tool, how would you make X happen?"

I bought the kindle version of this. Initially it felt easier to read than Learning Python the hard way and more motivating. But then I got to the coding examples. First on the kindle, som of the code is almost invisible, even in a well lit room. Then I tried it on the kindle on my iPad, but the letters in the coding examples were overlapping each other. As in three subsequent letters covered two adjacent letters. Changing the font or font size didn't have any effect. Nor did redownloading the book. I feel like I've wasted my money on this.

edit: Think I'll keep the star rating I put on this and call it a review on the kindle edition. Thankfully the the code can be downloaded, but that of course leads to juggling between the kindle and my computer screen.

I have experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but I wanted to start fresh on a new language. For some reason, Python seemed very attractive and I made a commitment to learn it in 2016. After taking a few courses at Treehouse, I decided I would like a book, because there is something about text that feels more concrete than videos. This book stood out to me so I gave it a shot, and I am glad I did.

The tone of this book is very easy going. It's moderately paced, so it feels like you are always learning something new, but not going too fast, and the book also never gets boring. It's very similar to other learning books, in that every new concept builds from the previous, etc...but Eric writes in such a way that there is no intimidation. Just a great style of writing.

One of my favorite parts of this book is that every chapter has "Try It Yourself" sections that give you objectives based on what you've been learning about. I know other textbooks have similar offerings at the end of chapters, but these seem to blend in with the material so well, and they're nothing complicated. They're like friendly reinforcements to the concepts you just learned about, and a great jumpstart to get coding.

Crash Course covers Python 3, and highlights the areas where Python 2 would be different. Eric also gives lessons on styling, and best practices, yet also says to just focus on getting things to work and go back later to make it more efficient, which I think is excellent advice and as I mentioned before, removes intimidation from anyone who might be worried they aren't up to par to code.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an introduction to Python. This will help start the foundation.

Great book approachable even for a beginner. Author does a great job anticipating places where you may stumble before you actually do. The projects at the end are fun and really help reinforce what you've learned at the beginning of the book.

Great book but illegible code on iPad kindle app, looks great on windows kindle app. Great content is nearly ruined by being illegible on my go to reading app on the iPad. Ugh. Yes I made sure the app is updated. :)

Great book but illegible code on iPad kindle app, looks great on windows kindle app. Great content is nearly ruined by being illegible on my go to reading app on the iPad. Ugh. Yes I made sure the app is updated. :)

Great book for beginners. It will walk you through all of the basic Python 3 syntax (while distinguishing the Python 2 differences where appropriate) and he explains and breaks down each code example piece by piece.

Also, throughout the chapters, there are "Try it yourself" sections that give you exercises to complete that pertains to what you have learned in the chapter. I have completed online courses that went through the basics of Python but I did not retain all of the information because they lacked exercises that you have to create from scratch. There are no curve ball questions that you would not know from reading the chapter, simply work through each example in the book in python, save the files for reference and complete the exercises, become a python pro!

Excellant!! First foray into programming and am thoroughly enjoying the material. Please let me know your recommended books as they relate to Python; intermediate, advanced, web related, database related etc.

fantastic introduction to object oriented programming and the python language. The projects really ensue that you can do things that are actually meaningful by the time you are finished with the book.

If you're new to programming, or are someone like me -- who's messed around with code, but are interested in learning Python, and expanding or formalizing your programming knowledge -- this is the book for you! PCC is well written, accessible, and organized; with progressively challenging hands-on projects and exercises that illuminate points of python programming, and keep your interest level up. It's the first time I've worked my way through a tech book that when I finished I almost felt sorry that I was done with it, as if it were a good novel. When I had a problem with deploying the final project in the book I wrote to Mr. Matthes, he emailed me back the same day, and I successfully deployed my project. Working through the book was just a great and satisfying overall experience. I can't recommend it highly enough.

If you're new to programming, or are someone like me -- who's messed around with code, but are interested in learning Python, and expanding or formalizing your programming knowledge -- this is the book for you! PCC is well written, accessible, and organized; with progressively challenging hands-on projects and exercises that illuminate points of python programming, and keep your interest level up. It's the first time I've worked my way through a tech book that when I finished I almost felt sorry that I was done with it, as if it were a good novel. When I had a problem with deploying the final project in the book I wrote to Mr. Matthes, he emailed me back the same day, and I successfully deployed my project. Working through the book was just a great and satisfying overall experience. I can't recommend it highly enough.

As a learning guide the text seems quite reasonable for a beginning coder.

Unfortunately, the code snippets are unreadable using the Kindle app on an iOS device. Even on a new Kindle the code snippets are rendered in a small and faint font (perhaps as images since they are not scalable in any way).

Check out a sample before buying the Kindle edition since the reading experience could make the quality of the text irrelevant.

Update:
An update to the text has addressed my readability concerns. Since I haven't had the chance to go through the text in detail, I am revising my rating to four stars. Of the python books I am working my way through this seems to be the best one for someone new to programming.

I took a Python course that provided material that didn't help very much. I bought this as a backup. Unfortunately this book did not help as much and I ended up putting it on the side lines in favor of a totally different book that I purchased a few days after this came in. Still a great book however but not for entry python classes and doesn't cover as much of the mathematics side of python like the course was covering.

This is an excellent book for leaning Python. As has been pointed out, the kindle version has an indent problem; it indents the first line and some scripts have hard to follow intentions. As a result I decided to buy the written version, since the content is so good. I am using the i3 desktop, so I use the digital copy as well. I put the book on one half of the screen and my IDE on the other. If I have problems with indenting, I just look at the paper version. There are some errors in the book, but the author refers people to his GitHub page where he has updates and copies of scripts and other resources. I have taken online courses and watched videos, but this book really helped me. It was like the author was sitting beside me telling me how to do something, then showing me how to do it, and finally telling me to try it. That is hard to beat. I am also into the projects which give a hands on look at the practical uses of Python. I recommend it highly.