As indicated throughout the preceding chapters, the purpose of this book has been to provide you with the tools you need to be productive with Python, and to avoid areas that might have less universal appeal. However, as you develop your knowledge and use of Python, you will no doubt want to delve into deeper waters.
This appendix suggests some resources have found to be immensely useful.
Learning Python, Third Edition, by Mark Lutz (O'Reilly, 2007) — This is a great introductory overview of the Python language itself. It doesn't delve deeply into all the different Python modules, but rather focuses on the language. As such, it's a good companion volume to this book.
Python Cookbook, by Alex Martelli, Anna Ravenscroft, and David Ascher (O'Reilly, 2005) — This is an excellent collection of "recipes" for accomplishing different tasks in Python. Each chapter is accompanied by an introductory section.
Core Python, Second Edition, by Wesley Chun (Prentice Hall, 2006) — This is another great book that both provides introductory material and delves more deeply into areas such as object-oriented development with Python.
Beginning Python (Programmer to Programmer), by Peter C. Norton, Alex Samuel, Dave Aitel, and Eric Foster-Johnson (Wrox, 2005) — This volume strikes just the right balance between deep coverage of the Python language and offering real-world scenarios demonstrating how you can apply the concepts. If you don't opt for Core Python, this is a good addition for your bookshelf.
Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional, by Magnus Lie Hetland (Apress, 2005) — This book provides a solid introduction to the language. Originally titled Practical Python, this book has been around for awhile and has undergone some good revisions.
Dive into Python, by Mark Pilgrim (Apress, 2004) — This is a unique introduction to Python that teaches Python by beginning with the code itself, rather than using text to introduce a concept and then illustrate it with code.
Professional Python Frameworks: Web 2.0 Programming with Django and Turbogears (Programmer to Programmer) by Dana Moore, Raymond Budd, and William Wright (Wrox, 2007) — This is a great book that introduces the popular Django and Turbogears frameworks, which are based on Python code. This book is a must if you want to use these frameworks to do Python-based web development.
You are likely to find the following sites useful:
www.python.org— The official Python website.wiki.python.org/moin— The Python wiki. This is a Great place to learn about Python from the source.planet.python.org— The official Python blog, it has references to dozens of other Python blogs, and contributions from many experts.about.python.com— About.com's Python portal. It contains a lot of great information, reference material, and a blog.
These are the blogs I read regularly:
www.artima.com/weblogs/index.jsp?blogger=guido— Guido Van Rossum's blog. Guido, as the creator of Python and "Benevolent Dictator for Life," is obviously a must-read for all Pythonistas.agiletesting.blogspot.com— Grig Gheorghiu's blog, which is especially focused on agile testing with Python.blog.ianbicking.org— Ian Bicking's blog on agile development with Python.ivory.idyll.org/blog— "Daily Life in an Ivory Basement," the blog of Titus Brown.