On 17/02/25 01:50, Jan Erik Moström via Python-list wrote:
I'm looking for a book that would teach me the lastest and greatest parts of
Python, does anyone have any recommendations?
I've looked at python.org and pythonbooks.org but I couldn't decide which one
to get.
I used to be fairly good at Python, but I haven't done any serious programming
in the last 10 years or so. So I would like something that got me up-to-date
with the latest features.
I don't need anything that would teach me OOP, functional programming, etc
(unless there is a new feature). In other words I'm looking for something that
concentrates language specific changes that has happened the last 10 years or
so.
When stop to think about it, this is quite a request:
don't give me what I do know,
do give me what I don't know!
That said, you are correct: the bulk of new publications seem to (still)
aim at the Beginner end of the continuum (see later comments).
Over the period mentioned, Python has changed a great deal - Python 3
(largely) replacing Python 2 was only the most-notable! Another
explosion has been the sheer variety of application-domains where Python
is happily applied: web, data science, machine learning, geo-spatial,
natural language - and good, old, math/stats (and more...)
Accordingly, most books aim at 'getting started' (Learn?Master Python in
the time it takes to eat an apple - hint: the apple is probably better
value), or one specific domain, eg Python for Econometrics.
Books published in 2024 (which I may not have read from cover to cover -
yet):
Effective Python: 125 Specific Ways to
Write Better Python, 3rd Edition
Brett Slatkin
Addison Wesley
- probably some good 'reminders' for you, to bring Python back-to-life
in your mind, plus (some of) the updated information and more-advanced
considerations requested
Hypermodern Python Tooling
Building Reliable Workflows for an Evolving Python Ecosystem
Claudio Jolowicz
O'Reilly
- per the title, majors on testing and projects rather than the language
per-se (still haven't found git in-detail though - YMMV)
Powerful Python
Aaron Maxwell
O'Reilly
- starts with generators (which you likely haven't met before) and goes
'up' from there (am still biting-off chunks of this one, rather than
reading serially)
Given Python's rapid development (a new point-upgrade version released
in October every year - many thanks to the 'Python Gods' who invest
hard-work in such!), it's a tremendous challenge to write a book (also
involving considerable time and effort) which will return value for more
than a few years - particularly at the advanced levels!
An alternative-approach which may take your fancy, is online courses
(many of which can be taken for $free). Their self-paced nature has the
advantage of enabling the skipping-over of repetitive content (and the
repeating of points which don't immediately 'sink in'). You will find
many examples on Coursera* and edX*.
- on Coursera am sad to advise avoiding U.Mich courses - they tend to be
re-worded Java (I think) content, don't follow PEP-008 and 'miss' Python
idioms
- disclaimer: my work uses the edX platform (not Python)
--
Regards,
=dn
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