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Brief: This post contains the list of best Python programming books for beginners.
Python is an interpreted high-level general-purpose programming language that is used for web development, game development, machine learning, and data analysis.
The popularity of Python is rising rapidly due to technologies like machine learning and Artificial intelligence, thereby increasing the opportunities of being a python developer.
It is also a perfect language for beginners as it is easy to learn and understand.
There are many free and paid sources on the internet through which you can learn python programming. One of such sources for learning python programming is through books.
There are many books out there, but I have selected some of the best python programming books for beginners.
Here’s the summary of the best Python programming books for beginners:
| Best Python Programming Books | Link to Product |
|---|---|
| Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition | See details at Amazon |
| Automate the Boring Stuff with Python | See details at Amazon |
| Learning Python, 5th Edition | See details at Amazon |
| Cracking Codes with Python | See details at Amazon |
| Elements of Programming Interviews in Python | See details at Amazon |
5 Best Python Programming Books for Beginners
1. Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition
First on this list is Python Crash Course (2nd Edition) by Eric Matthes.
This 544 pages’ book is divided into two parts. In the first part, you will learn the fundamentals of python which includes variables, lists, classes, dictionaries, loops, writing clean code etc. You will also learn to create interactive programs and test them before adding them to your projects.
In the second part, you will get your hands dirty by creating 3 major projects using everything that you learned in the first half of the book. The 3 projects are:
- Alien Invasion (A Space Invaders inspired arcade game).
- Data visualizations using Python libraries.
- A web application (using Django) that you can deploy online.
Through these projects, not only you will improve your basic python skills, but also learn many different libraries and frameworks like Pygame, Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django.
If you want a fast-paced book that will have you writing programs in no time, then this book is for you.
2. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (2nd Edition)
Automate the boring stuff with Python (2nd Edition) by Al Sweigart is a highly practical book that teaches you to use python for automating day-to-day tasks.
Every single chapter in this book contains practice questions and practice projects that will help you to test what you have learned so far.
This book is also briefly divided into two parts, the first half (Chapter 1-6) will teach you the Python programming basics which include, flow control, functions, lists, dictionaries, manipulating strings etc.
Whereas, from the second part (Chapter 7 onwards), you will start automating various day to day tasks that includes extracting phone and email address, organizing files, web scraping, working with Excel and Google sheets, working with PDF and word documents, controlling keyboard and mouse using python and much more.
This book is highly practical and you will start writing code right from the first chapter. I recommend this book, as it covers a lot of practical projects and teaches python for automating the boring stuff.
Bonus: Al Sweigart also published a video course for Automating the boring stuff with Python on Udemy.
3. Learning Python, 5th Edition
Learning Python (5th Edition) authored by Mark Lutz is a great book that provides a comprehensive, in-depth introduction to the core Python language.
This book covers a lot of areas, starting from the very basic topics like “Why should you use python?” to using advanced Python tools, including decorators, descriptors, metaclasses, and Unicode processing. This makes it suitable for both beginners and advanced readers.
You can also test your knowledge on a particular topic by taking quizzes and practice exercises present at the end of every chapter and part of the book.
This 1600+ pages book contains a lot of theory. If you are the type of person who likes diving into practical stuff as quickly as possible then this book is not for you.
I only recommend this book for those who are new to the programming field or want to have in-depth knowledge of python from scratch.
4. Cracking Codes with Python
Cracking Codes with Python is another book by Al Sweigart on his list. This book will teach you python along with cryptography.
Through this book, you can learn about building and breaking different types of ciphers including – Reverse, Caesar, Affine, Simple Substitution, Vigenère ciphers any many more.
Not only that, but you’ll also learn how to encrypt and decrypt files using python.
Just like the Automate the boring stuff with Python book, this book is also highly practical. At the end of every chapter, you’ll be presented with practical questions which will be very helpful to test your understanding of that particular chapter.
By the time you finish this book, you’ll have a good grasp of python programming and also good introductory knowledge of cryptography.
So, if you’re interested in learning python by building and breaking ciphers, then I recommend you to check out this book.
5. Elements of Programming Interviews in Python
As the title suggests, Elements of Programming Interviews in Python contains interview questions and solutions. You can take this book if you wish to apply for a job after learning python.
This book contains over 250 problems with detailed solutions. All problems are illustrated with 200 figures, 300 tested programs, and 150 additional variants. These problems are representatives of interview questions asked at leading software companies.
Each chapter in this book starts with a brief introduction, a case study, top tips, and a review of the most important library methods which is followed by a set of challenging problems.
Elements of Programming Interviews also contain a summary of data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving patterns for a quick revision.
Apart from all the technical tips, this book also focuses on nontechnical aspects of interviewing, such as strategies for a great interview, common mistakes, perspectives from the other side of the table, tips on negotiating the best offer etc.
This book doesn’t exactly teach you python programming, but it will prove useful in honing your Python skills and preparing you for an interview. So, you should take this book along with any other python book/s present in this list.
Conclusion
This concludes the list of best python programming books for beginners. This list on not in any order. All these books are good for learning python but which one you like the best, depends on your way of learning.
You can also learn from some free books or blogs on the internet to see if python is the right choice for you or not.
Have fun while programming with python. 🙂
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