Dive into Python

Whether you're an experienced programmer looking to get into Python or grizzled Python veteran who remembers the days when you had to import the string module, Dive Into Python is your 'desert island' Python book.

― Joey deVilla, Slashdot contributor

As a complete newbie to the language…I constantly had those little thoughts like, 'this is the way a programming language should be taught.'

― Lasse Koskela , JavaRanch

Apress has been profuse in both its quantity and quality of releasesand (this book is) surely worth adding to your technical reading budget for skills development.

― Blane Warrene, Technology Notes

I am reading this ... because the language seems like a good way to accomplish programming tasks that don't require the low-level bit handling power of C.

― Richard Bejtlich, TaoSecurity

Python is a new and innovative scripting language. It is set to replace Perl as the programming language of choice for shell scripters, and for serious application developers who want a feature-rich, yet simple language to deploy their products.

Dive Into Python is ahands-on guide to the Python language. Each chapter starts with a real, complete code sample, proceeds to pick it apart and explain the pieces, and then puts it all back together in a summary at the end.

This is the perfect resource for you if you like to jump into languages fast and get going right away. If you're just starting to learn Python, first pick up a copy of Magnus Lie Hetland's Practical Python.