Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist

If you want to learn how to program, working with Python is an excellent way to start. This hands-on guide takes you through the language a step at a time, beginning with basic programming concepts before moving on to functions, recursion, data structures, and object-oriented design. This second edition and its supporting code have been updated for Python 3.

Through exercises in each chapter, you’ll try out programming concepts as you learn them. Think Python is ideal for students at the high school or college level, as well as self-learners, home-schooled students, and professionals who need to learn programming basics. Beginners just getting their feet wet will learn how to start with Python in a browser.

• Start with the basics, including language syntax and semantics
• Get a clear definition of each programming concept
• Learn about values, variables, statements, functions, and data structures in a logical progression
• Discover how to work with files and databases
• Understand objects, methods, and object-oriented programming
• Use debugging techniques to fix syntax, runtime, and semantic errors
• Explore interface design, data structures, and GUI-based programs through case studies

• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners
• Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming
• Python Cookbook, Third edition
• Learning Python, 5th Edition
• Python Data Science Handbook: Essential Tools for Working with Data
• Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
• Learn Python 3 the Hard Way: A Very Simple Introduction to the Terrifyingly Beautiful World of Computers and Code (Zed Shaw's Hard Way Series)
• Think Stats
• Think Bayes
• Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with Pandas, NumPy, and IPython