So, Packt sent me this book to give my opinion on it.
As always, Packt deserves some praise for consistently improve the quality of the books.
Let’s review Learn Python Programming by Fabrizio Romano and Henrich Kruger
I like the book for it’s warm introduction to programming, Python uses in the real-world and the classic installation hand-holding.
It’s off to a great start by using Python3.12, though many packages haven’t caught up to it. Even Google Gemini package (google-generativeai) supports only upto Python3.11, but, i believe it a matter of time. It also states that Python can be run as a service, which sparks a lot of ideas.
The first part is hands-on practice on the Repl, brilliant idea. Books tend to focus on code in files. But, beginners enjoy being able to do something with instant feedback and focusing on the language rather than being interrupted by file runs.
The reasons for using functions are compelling, succinct and relatable. Great addition of good practices. I like the way it tackles uncanny topics like generators. Kudos for talking about TOML!
I was wondering why it included cryptography in this book, then i saw the section about JWT, nice shot! It’s essential that developers learn about JWT in a non-intimidating way.
The book is a nice starter toolkit, talks about relevant concepts, adding libraries where needed like pytest for tests, and typing. I also laud the inclusion of SQLAlchemy and a section for data science.
This book approaches fundamentals over frameworks, which is great. It refuses to teach Flask or Django (but is more Django prone and uses Django as example, just saying), but teaches requests, data interchange, formats and databases. Good move.
The book is good and thoughtful. It’s a recommended buy if you want to ramp up a solid foundation in Python quickly (Not sponsored comment).
This book, as all books are long and i recommend speeding up on the easy parts.
Link to book in comment.