Learning Python: Powerful Object-Oriented Programming

Get a comprehensive, in-depth introduction to the core Python language with this hands-on book. Based on author Mark Lutz's popular training course, this updated sixth edition will help you quickly write efficient, high-quality code with Python. It's an ideal way to begin, whether you're new to programming or a professional developer versed in other languages.

Complete with quizzes, exercises, and helpful illustrations, this easy-to-follow self-paced tutorial gets you started with Python 3.12 and all other releases in use today. With a pragmatic focus on what you need to know, it also introduces some advanced language features that have become increasingly common in Python code.

This book helps you:

• Explore Python's built-in object types such as strings, lists, dictionaries, and files
• Create and process objects with Python statements, and learn Python's syntax model
• Use functions and functional programming to avoid redundancy and maximize reuse
• Organize code into larger components with modules and packages
• Code robust programs with Python's exception handling and development tools
• Apply object-oriented programming and classes to make code customizable
• Survey advanced Python tools including decorators, descriptors, and metaclasses
• Write idiomatic Python code that runs portably across a wide variety of platforms

Mark wrote the three O'Reilly books Learning Python, Programming Python, and Python Pocket Reference, all currently in fourth, fifth, or sixth editions. He has been using and promoting Python since 1992, started writing Python books in 1995, and began teaching Python classes in 1997.

All told, Mark has taught thousands of learners live and in person, and his published works span 12k pages among 15 books that cover Pythons 1.X through 3.X. He also has BS and MS degrees in computer science, work experience in compilers and other domains, and a current interest in Python-coded apps that run on both PCs and phones.