Top 10 Best Books To Learn & Practice Python
Books are a great form of obtaining information as they help you grasp concepts at your own pace and you can read them in your own convenient bubble. This article brings you the top 10 best books for Python that we suggest, starting from the beginner-level breaking into domain-specific books. We also have a bonus book that we think you would love as an advanced Python developer.
The article has been broken down into the following segments:
- Why choose Python?
- Beginner-Level Books
- Think Python
- Python Crash Course
- Learning Python
- Python Programming
- Python in a Nutshell
- Domain-Specific Books
- Programming Python
- Effective Computation in Physics
- Python for Data Analysis
- Python Machine Learning
- Django for Beginners
- Bonus Book (Advanced Programmers)
- Violent Python: Cookbook for Hackers
Why choose Python?
Python is a general-purpose programming language with features such as simple syntax, dynamic semantics, interpretation used to develop web applications, machine learning algorithms and more. Python is growing rapidly, amplifying its opportunities two-fold. Why would you not want to learn this wonderful language? Now you may be wondering which are the best books for Python? So let me show you the recommendations I have suitable for all skill levels.
Beginner-Level Books
Books that are targeted at people who want to learn Python from scratch will be discussed in this section of the article. So, if you are not a seasoned programmer, we would suggest you take a look at these wonderful books and start off with learning Python.
Learning Python by Mark Lutz
Learning Python is another simple book which goes over the basic concepts of Python and is designed such that it targets the newbies. It goes over variables, operators, data types, and much more. The unique point about this book is that it also goes over the major differences between Python2 and Python3 and is also a really good book which we recommend if you want to learn the basics.
Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Programming by Eric Matthews
‘Python Crash Course’ is a wonderful book for anybody who is looking to get started off with learning any sort of programming language or knows a bit about programming. The book has basically been divided into two parts. The first part is an introduction to the basics of Python dealing with the data types, operators, functions, loops and much more. The second part deals with projects related to web development, data visualization, game development as so on. The book also deals with powerful libraries such as NumPy, Matplotlib and many more which can help you in learning Data Science and Visualization in much depth if you want to. Overall, it is a really wonderful book designed for everybody with projects that bring out the best learning experience.
Think Python by Allen Downey
This book is simple yet effective going over the basic topics such as data types, operators, commenting and moves over to functions, recursion, flow control in a straightforward, friendly communicative way. It has been updated to support Python3. You should go ahead with it if you are looking for a book that is communicative to its users and like the kind of writing it has to offer.
Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science by John M Zelle
This book has been targeting students of the university level who are being introduced to the world of computer science. It goes over the basic concepts of computer science further introducing programming in the form of Python and teaches some basic projects which deal with graphics. So if you are a student at university, school or anybody who is even interested in the world of Computer Science and have no idea how to get into this space, this is the book for all of you. It helps break down the complexity of tools and programming concepts in a very simple and efficient way.
Python in a Nutshell by Alex Martelli
Python in a Nutshell is a book that deals with the basic concepts of Python and also a wonderful source of information when it comes to libraries and language references. If you are fundamentally strong in Python, you can also learn the important and more complicated concepts that this book deals with and is a book that is a complete guide for anybody who wants to improve their programming skills in Python.
Domain-Specific Books
Once you are clear with the basics of Python, why not go ahead and learn domain-specific Python that can help you build a career. These books are targeted to help you use Python in solving real-world applications in an efficient way.
Programming Python: Powerful Object-Oriented Programming by Mark Lutz
Once you are clear with the fundamentals of Python, we suggest you read this book as it goes deeper into the applications that Python can be used for. It firstly deals with Object-Oriented concepts such as Stack, Queue and many more with their implementation. Followed by the basics of GUI programming using the Tkinter module, command-line scripting which can be used to perform file processing, parallel programming and more. Internet programming where client-side network protocols can be accessed, E-Mail tools, and website implementation techniques. It also helps you access databases and building embedded applications. As you can see, the book covers a lot and serves as a perfect start to advanced Python programming.
Effective Computation in Physics: Field Guide to Research with Python by Anthony Scopatz, Kathryn D. Huff
This book is a perfect guide for anybody who is a scientist, or a data analyst or anybody who deals a lot with data as it starts out with the basics of Python and then moves deeper into teaching about data and how scientists can use Python to perform their operations quickly and efficiently. So if you are somebody who wants to learn how to use Python for scientific computation purposes and data processing, this is the book to go ahead with.
Python for Data Analysis by Wes McKinney
Python for Data Analysis is the perfect guide to help you become a Data Analyst as it teaches you the various libraries such as NumPy, Pandas which can be used to manipulate, process, clean and crunch down the data. It also provides a variety of practical case studies which help you mature in Data Analysis. It helps pave the path to using the right tools and the right methods for Data Analysis.
Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka and Vahid Mirjalili
This book helps you understand and develop the various Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Data Analysis algorithms. It goes over the various powerful libraries such as the Scikit-Learn for implementing the various Machine Learning algorithms. Following that, it also teaches you about Deep Learning using the Tensor Flow module. It also teaches you the various methods which can be used to improve the efficiency of the model you make and lastly shows you the various data analysis opportunities that you can achieve using Machine and Deep Learning.
Django for Beginners by William S. Vincent
Python can be used to develop web applications rapidly and this book helps you learn in building them. It goes over the basics of the Django Framework covering the structure, views, templates and testing. Further, it also has projects such as a newspaper app with a comment section, messaging app and much more. This is the perfect book for you if you want to use Python in developing web applications.
Bonus Book
Those are the advanced books that we recommend to you if you are serious and want to build a career in Python. For those who are already a Python Developer, we have a brilliant recommendation to kick start a new opportunity for your career, CyberSecurity.
CyberSecurity is very challenging, yet one of the most satisfying careers that you can go ahead with. And the book we recommend to you is:
Violent Python: A Cookbook for Hackers, Forensic Analysts, Penetration Testers and Security Engineers by TJ O’Connor
Violent Python provides you with the basics of Cyber Security. It teaches you about forensic analysis where data from RAM and other components need to be recovered using various techniques. It also teaches you about penetration testing where a red team of security engineers tries to break down the server of a client and the blue team security engineers try to find the breaking point and solve that to further better the security.
That basically wraps up our recommendations to you, ranging from the beginner field all the way up to the most advanced fields. We hope you like our recommendations.
If you wish to check out more articles on the market’s most trending technologies like Artificial Intelligence, DevOps, Ethical Hacking, then you can refer to Edureka’s official site.
Do look out for other articles in this series which will explain the various other aspects of Python and Data Science.
15. Python vs C++
16. Scrapy Tutorial
17. Python SciPy
20. Python Basics
23. Python Decorator
32. Python 3.8
34. Python Tutorial
Originally published at https://www.edureka.co on October 15, 2019.
