Rating: 
Summary: I learned to program with this book.
Review: A few years ago, I had the privelege to take a Python class (my first programming class) with Wesley Chun. This book had not yet gone to print, but we were using photocopied chapters as our text for the class. At the time, I poured myself into learning the language, and now I am extremely grateful that I chose Python as the first language to learn and had this book to learn from!The exercises can be quite challenging, and the text needs editing in places, but overall it's very clear and consistent throughout. (If you already are a programmer, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting a handle on what's going on from the examples). This book also makes a fantastic reference - there are times when I have referred to it more often than the Python reference itself. The Python language induces good programming habits, and this book really brings this quality to light. A great first language to learn, and a great book to learn with. Note: I'd also love to see a Part II dealing with more advanced material (particularly async network programming, AI, and even more web programming).
Rating:
Summary: I learned to program with this book.
Review: A few years ago, I had the privelege to take a Python class (my first programming class) with Wesley Chun. This book had not yet gone to print, but we were using photocopied chapters as our text for the class. At the time, I poured myself into learning the language, and now I am extremely grateful that I chose Python as the first language to learn and had this book to learn from! The exercises can be quite challenging, and the text needs editing in places, but overall it's very clear and consistent throughout. (If you already are a programmer, you shouldn't have much difficulty getting a handle on what's going on from the examples). This book also makes a fantastic reference - there are times when I have referred to it more often than the Python reference itself. The Python language induces good programming habits, and this book really brings this quality to light. A great first language to learn, and a great book to learn with. Note: I'd also love to see a Part II dealing with more advanced material (particularly async network programming, AI, and even more web programming).
Rating:
Summary: King of the Lot
Review: A simple test. If you own a slew of reference books on Python (as I do), consider which one you reach for most often while programming? My answer is this book by Wesley Chun. The authors conversational style and the books clear and consistent layout make this a pleasure as a reference. Here's to hoping Wesley Chun publishes a Volume 2 dealing with advanced topics (especially given the new language features added since publication). This is one of the few books dealing with ANY programming language that can justify a [$$] price tag. If you are not using this as a text book you are cheating your students. And cheating is not cool.
Rating: 
Summary: could be reduced in size with normal type
Review: Decent text, but watch out, you might think you are getting a lot of information after looking at the size of the book, as it's 1000+ pages. Do keep in mind that this book could be condensed to half it's size or less if the type was reduced to a normal level. Overall, this book can be read by a wide range of audiences, from the beginner, to well...somewhat of an expert, as it covers some of the "advanced" topics like gui programming and threading. Most likely, this book will be most appealing to a intermediate level Pythonite. There are juicier picks out there in the same price range, like Python Essential Reference, but if you want to exhaustively complete your python library, this book is not a bad buy.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for beginning Python programmers
Review: Definitely worth 5 stars. The book clearly explains its purpose, and the author makes his methodologies known in the beginning as to how he will approach teaching the language. His explanations are clear and concise, and it does not contradict the DOCS available on the Python web site. He's both humorous and informative, with a relaxed style of writing. The code in itself is neatly organized, clearly explained, and overall, it works. He does cover a lot of Python basics, the majority of the book are Python basics. He also covers advanced topics such as network programming, extending Python through C/C++ modules, and multithreading. All of which are important, being able to write distributed applications, writing responsive programs, and being able to extend the language are all equally important. Python's power is clearly explained and logically thought-out in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Python but are new to programming. As a side note, I would also take extra time and check out the DOCS themselves. The author is good, but by no means perfect, supplement the book with the DOCS, it'll help you out a lot more. I have plans on writing more complicated web services using Python, and this book will remain beside me as both a reference and a guide when I'm lost.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for beginning Python programmers
Review: Definitely worth 5 stars. The book clearly explains its purpose, and the author makes his methodologies known in the beginning as to how he will approach teaching the language. His explanations are clear and concise, and it does not contradict the DOCS available on the Python web site. He's both humorous and informative, with a relaxed style of writing. The code in itself is neatly organized, clearly explained, and overall, it works. He does cover a lot of Python basics, the majority of the book are Python basics. He also covers advanced topics such as network programming, extending Python through C/C++ modules, and multithreading. All of which are important, being able to write distributed applications, writing responsive programs, and being able to extend the language are all equally important. Python's power is clearly explained and logically thought-out in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Python but are new to programming. As a side note, I would also take extra time and check out the DOCS themselves. The author is good, but by no means perfect, supplement the book with the DOCS, it'll help you out a lot more. I have plans on writing more complicated web services using Python, and this book will remain beside me as both a reference and a guide when I'm lost.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for beginners
Review: For the last few months I was developing in Perl. But I found myself very frustrated with the syntax, and the Perl books on the market did a so-so job on explaining how everything worked. And then I came across this book. I had read a review about in the Linux Journal. In 2 days I "inhaled" 200+ pages of this book, about 7 chapters. To begin with, this book is easy to understand, has numerous examples to go long with the text, and does an excellent job in progessing through Python. The first 400 pages cover syntax, style, functions, classes, modules, etc. If you've ever programmed in another language (C, C++, Java, Perl), Mr. Chun compares Python to each of them in simularities and differences. You should be pick up on these quite easily. The last part of the book in more advanced topics, which I found quite enjoyable. I don't program in Perl anymore. After reading this book, I wonder why I didn't look at Python first. Aside from a book on Tkinter, this is the only book that I keep on my desk. It's great for teaching and learning, but makes a great reference book also.
Rating: 
Summary: He is a Mathematician
Review: I am interested in python mostly for it's similiarity to perl and the language's usefulness in systems administration. This book has a lot of math in it. It is just ok.
Rating:
Summary: clear explanations of basic concepts make it a winner
Review: I have been programming in Python for a couple of years. "Core" has been on my bookshelf, but I didn't consult it much until I wanted to learn CGI ("Web") programming, and thought I would see what I could find in it. It was a revelation! The explanations of basic concepts are very clear, yet short and to the point, and cover all of the basic information. As one example, the explanation of client-server architecture in the chapter on network programming really gives you the basic concepts. I am extremely impressed. So I think this book would be a very good choice for someone in the beginner to intermediate range. In my case, I'm in the intermediate category for some topics, but for some topics I am a complete beginner. So this book was just what I needed. The explanations are so clear and well-written that it is easy to give "Core" 5 stars. I suggest that you ignore the reviews that complain about the big type. The big type makes the book a pleasure to read: as one reviewer said, you can just sit down and read this book, even if you're not in front of your computer. The only disadvantage to the big type is that it might give a prospective buyer the impression that this book is not as solid as it really is.
Rating:
Summary: clear explanations of basic concepts make it a winner
Review: I have been programming in Python for a couple of years. "Core" has been on my bookshelf, but I didn't consult it much until I wanted to learn CGI ("Web") programming, and thought I would see what I could find in it. It was a revelation! The explanations of basic concepts are very clear, yet short and to the point, and cover all of the basic information. As one example, the explanation of client-server architecture in the chapter on network programming really gives you the basic concepts. I am extremely impressed. So I think this book would be a very good choice for someone in the beginner to intermediate range. In my case, I'm in the intermediate category for some topics, but for some topics I am a complete beginner. So this book was just what I needed. The explanations are so clear and well-written that it is easy to give "Core" 5 stars. I suggest that you ignore the reviews that complain about the big type. The big type makes the book a pleasure to read: as one reviewer said, you can just sit down and read this book, even if you're not in front of your computer. The only disadvantage to the big type is that it might give a prospective buyer the impression that this book is not as solid as it really is.
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