Best Python Books For Beginners, Intermediates And Experts

"Python is an experiment in how much freedom programmers need. Too much freedom and nobody can read another's code; too little and expressiveness is endangered." ~ Guido van Rossum

According to his words, Python is a user-friendly coding language that provides the right amount of freedom for programmers. It is a high-level programming language and a general-purpose software program that is interpreted. The use of considerable indentation in its design ethos emphasizes the readability of the code. Its elements and object-oriented approach are aimed at assisting programmers in writing clear, logical code for both simple and complex projects.

For anyone who wants to learn Python, books can be a fantastic source of learning if you want to gain knowledge in Python programming. Books allow you to delve into detail at your own pace. In this article, we will cover some of the best Python books for beginners, intermediates, and advanced programmers that are highly recommended, catering to the needs of programmers of all skill levels, from novice to expert. (There are a few free Python books too!)

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Best Python Books For Beginners

1. Python Crash Course: 2nd Edition

Author: Eric Matthes

Python Crash Course is one of the best Python books for beginners. It is an in-depth, project-based introduction to the Python programming language for beginners. This deals with basic concepts of Python. The book is organized into two sections: the first will help you grasp the fundamentals of Python programming, such as lists, dictionaries, classes, and loops, as well as experience producing clean code.

This book will help you create three projects in the second part: a Space Invaders arcade game, a series of data visualizations, and a small web application. You'll learn how to utilize Matplotlib, Django, Plotly, and Pygame as you progress through the book. 

• Pros: It is considered one of the best books for beginners as it is a mix of educating, coding, and having a reader code. It has projects that are meaningful and have real-world applicability.
• Cons: The book only provides an overview of most topics and does not go into details. So if you're a novice, this book is for you, but for experienced programmers, this book may not serve the purpose at all.

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2. Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide - 2nd edition

Author: Paul Barry

Without having to read manuals, Head First Python is a detailed guide that will help you quickly grasp the fundamental concepts of Python. For those who need an introduction to this language, Head First Python is certainly one of the best Python books.

This book will take you through the process of creating your own web application, including database management, exception handling, working with built-in functions, and other fundamentals. To help you learn better and stimulate your mind, Head First Python employs a visual format rather than a rich textual approach. In all, it is one of the most preferred Python programming books. 

Pros: The book will help you write your first Python programs within the first few hours of reading.

Cons: Some steps in a few exercises are missing or don't have detailed solutions. 

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Best Python Books For Intermediate Level

1. Learning Python: 5th edition

Author: Mark Lutz

Learning Python offers an integrated introduction to the basic Python language. The book's most recent edition pushes you to build efficient, high-quality code. Considered one of the best Python books, it will teach you about code repetition and how to structure statements.

Learning Python dives into classes to introduce you to OOPs fundamentals in Python and is extremely useful for intermediate developers and junior developers. The book covers general programming principles such as exception handling and development tools and is considered an excellent book for intermediate readers and programmers. The book also deals with Python tools consisting of decorators, descriptors, meta classes, and Unicode processing.

• Pros: This book covers a wide range of programming principles and is best for intermediate learners. 
• Cons: It is a bit tedious to read. The introduction to the language's objects and syntax is complex.

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2. Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming

Author: Luciano Ramalho

Luciano Ramalho's Fluent Python is a hands-on guide that teaches you how to write excellent Python codes by exploiting the language's most underused yet most powerful capabilities. The author guides you through the features and libraries of the language through step-by-step instructions, supporting you in making your code shorter, quicker, and more legible.

The Python data model, data structures, functions as objects, object-oriented idiomatic codes, control flow, and metaprogramming are among the topics covered in the book. This book is for intermediate as well as advanced Python programmers who want to learn about Python 3 and become proficient in it.

• Pros: The book helps you to get Python skills in an organized and efficient manner.
• Cons: There are no comments in sample codes.

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Best Python Books For Experts

1. Python Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering Python 3

Author: David Beazley, Brian Jones. K

The 'Python Cookbook,' edited by David Beazley and Brian K. Jones, can help you learn Python 3 programming skills or upgrade old Python 2 projects. This cookbook includes entire recipes that have been tried and tested using Python 3.  Python Cookbook is one of the best Python books for experienced programmers who wish to concentrate on new tools and object-oriented idioms rather than conventional coding.

The book includes complete recipes for a variety of topics, including the Python programming language and its applications, as well as activities that are common across many application domains. Among the topics covered in the book are strings, data structures, iterators, functions, classes, modules, packages, concurrency, testing, debugging, and exceptions. 

• Pros: Descriptions of items and aspects that give excellent background information
• Cons: Complex examples, that make it a bit difficult to solve.

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2. Learn Python The Hard Way: 3rd Edition

Author: Zed A. Shaw

Learn Python by Zed Shaw is a comprehensive guide to make you learn Python with the help of 52 excellently designed activities. The book begins by assisting you in the installation of a complete Python environment before moving on to a range of topics such as basic mathematics,  strings, variables, data structures, Object-Oriented Programming, and other advanced language features.

This book claims to reward you for every minute you put into it, making you familiar with one of the world's most powerful and popular programming languages- Python. 

• Pros: Teaching style is impressive
• Cons: Lack of exercise

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3. Black Hat Python: 2nd Edition

Author: Justin Seitz, Tim Arnold

Fully updated for Python 3, the second edition of this worldwide bestseller explores the stealthier side of programming and brings you all new strategies for your hacking projects. Seitz and Arnold will help you explore the unknown side of Python’s capabilities. All of the code in this edition has been updated to Python 3.x.  websites.

• Pros: Covers programming techniques specifically tailored for ethical hackers and penetration testers; focuses on practicality; clear and concise language. 
• Cons: Some specific tools and techniques covered in the book may become outdated over time.

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Best Python Books To Learn Algorithms

1. Algorithms Python

Author: Yang Hu

This book is full of examples, explanatory pictures, and well-written content, making it one of the best Python programming books. It explains data structure and algorithms in an easy-to-understand manner. It is intended to assist programmers in making better use of algorithmic energy. The classic reference book on algorithms offers fundamental knowledge system of algorithms. The code of the algorithm is provided by the new Python implementation code, that follows a modular programming style.  This book will pique your interest in programming and help you grasp all the intracacies quickly and easily.

• Pros: Graphical representation makes it easy to understand
• Cons: Not useful for experts

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Audiobooks of Python

1. Python For Beginners: The Dummies Guide To Learn Python Programming. A Practical Reference With Exercises For Newbie And Advanced Developers

Authors: Mark Lioy; Narrated by James Jakeway, George Moser

Python for Beginners takes a very practical approach to this programming language, ensuring that you learn all you need to get started with Python as quickly as possible. The book touches upon: 

• How to set up the computer's environment;
• The logic that underpins programming;
• Basic Python keywords and how to utilize them;
• How do you manage your software's flow? 
• How should files and user input be handled? 
• Different sorts of data and how to use them,
• How to speed up the coding by creating new functions and using pre-built ones?

• Pros: Its practical approach makes it the best book to learn Python for beginners as well as experts
• Cons: Issues with English translation 

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2. Coding For Beginners Using Python: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction To Learn Coding With Python

Authors: Mark Matthes And Eric Lutz; Narrated by Jerome Vega

This book is one of the excellent Python programming books that covers the following:

1. What Is Python,  History, and Why Learn Python?
2. Fundamental Operators
3. Python Data Types and so much more!

• Pros: Offers flexibility to learn
• Cons: Some concepts are not clear

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Best Books To Learn Python And Code Like A Pro 

1. Learning Python: Learn To Code Like A Professional With Python - an open-source, versatile, and powerful programming language 

Author: Fabrizio Romano

The book covers data structures, ways to regulate code redundancy, the flow of programs, writing reusable and error-proof codes, etc. With the help of this Python programming book, you will get to investigate various programming paradigms to determine the optimal approach to any problem, as well as learn how to undertake performance optimization, effective debugging, and various advanced topics with the help of practical examples.

• Pros: The author delves into many essential components of Python, such as comprehensions, generators, and decorators, as well as the datatypes.
• Cons: File I/O is one of the most essential subjects in programming, particularly in a scripting language like Python is not dealt with.

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2. Practices Of The Python Pro

Author: Dane Hillard

The Python Pro Practices is a Python programming book that teaches you to design and develop professional-quality software that is comprehensible, maintainable, and extensible. Dane Hillard is a Python expert who has assisted dozens of developers in making this transition, and he knows what it takes. He uses instructional examples and exercises to show you when, why, and how to narrow the scope of the code and even how to improve quality by decreasing complexity. If you follow these basic principles, your code will be easier to understand, maintain, and repurpose. 

• Pros: This is one of the best Python books for programmers that shows you how to do things correctly. 
• Cons: Some statistics are missing, and the formatting of the codes is incorrect.

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To Learn Python Libraries

1. Python Standard Library: An Annotated Reference for Python 2.0

Author: Frederik Lundh 

Python Standard Library is a must-have reference for serious Python programmers. Python Standard Library presents this important information in a clear and user-friendly way. This accurate and comprehensive reference documentation is intended for Python programmers who want the facts and nothing else. The book is based on the author's work with the Python newsgroup, he evaluated over 2500 questions and answers from that newsgroup to ensure that the book included everything that the Python users needed to know.

• Pros: Each module is presented with a few lines of text before being demonstrated with a code sample and its result.
• Cons: Some information is missing from more dispersed graphics and modules.

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Books To Provide Extra Edge In Python

1. Advanced Python Programming: The Insider Guide to Advanced Python Programming Systems

Author: Richard Ozer

Learn Advanced Python Programming Concepts with one of the best Python books- Advanced Python Programming by Richard Ozer. Python is gaining popularity in the world of coding, and many popular technical products, ranging from the Raspberry Pi to the Linux operating system, use Python as a basis.

Python can enable you to create your own software, games, and even your own home surveillance system by advanced methods. It is, without a doubt, one of the most useful coding languages available, and the way it is formatted eliminates much of the fluff that other coding languages are prone to. 

• Pros: More advanced topics are covered with interesting examples, code readability.
• Cons: It covers the use of third-party libraries and python to tackle certain extremely particular challenges.

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Python Project Ideas - Reference

1. Practical Python Project 

Author: Yasoob Khalid

One of the best-selling Python books, Practical Python Projects by Yasoob Khalid shows how to combine various libraries and frameworks to create wonderful things. 

Most books, online courses, websites, and tutorials concentrate on teaching the language's complexities. But unlike other resources that do not educate how to design and implement end-to-end projects, this book attempts to dig deep into these topics. This book will be useful for those who work as professional developers or software developers.

• Pros: Interesting project ideas
• Cons: Some code information/explanation is missing

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2. Tiny Python Projects

Author: Ken Youens-Clark

Each chapter in Tiny Python Projects presents you with a new Python program. Some fun projects are a password generator, a word rhymer, a Shakespearean insult generator, basic web development, and more! The book contains various programming exercises that will give you hands-on experience in Python as you progress from a Python newbie to a confident programmer. 

• Pros: The book is explicit, interesting, and provides hands-on experience. 
• Cons: Dealt with basic projects only.

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We hope this list of the best Python books helps you to grasp the nitty-gritty of the Python language. If you're a newbie, you might want to start with free books to determine if the language holds your attention. On the other hand, if you're an advanced Python learner, you might wish to brush up on your skills with the help of advanced Python programming books. So, brace up and code your way through Python!

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