Learning Python by Mark Lutz

One of the most complete books for learning how to program in Python.

Review of Learning Python:

Learning Python is an easy to follow and practical book that will teach anyone with basic programming knowledge all the main concepts of Python. Full of quizzes and exercises, this self-paced book will get you writing efficient and high-quality python code.

The original review describes the 1,640-page fifth edition. A sixth edition appeared in 2025, focused on Python 3.12. Check the edition before buying: older Python 2 discussions and chapter references are not interchangeable with the revised text.

It also explains all the curiosities ans insights behind the syntax, detailing its origin, the way Python works, and what it does and how it works when it executes your code. It is also a wonderful text to have close by to freshen concepts or solve doubts. The contents of the book are described in the next section.

Part I. Getting Started: Introduction, a bit of explanation of where Python came from, and the objectives of the book.

Core topics include built-in objects, statements, loops, comprehensions, functions, and scopes. Practise each concept with a small program before moving on; the introductory material alone is not a complete foundation.

Part III speaks about the different modules and packages: what they are, how to import them, etc…

Part IV exploits the Object Oriented programming Python interfaces. It introduces POO, classes, and gives some cool examples and tips on how to do this to obtain the best results.

Part V introduces the reader to exceptions and tools, what they are used for and how to manage them.

Lastly, some advanced topics like decorators, metaclasses, and different encodings are covered.

You can find all the different chapters here:

http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do

Summary

For beginners, compare the detailed approach here with Python Crash Course or Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. Pick one main text and spend at least as much time writing code as reading.

Its main strength is explaining why Python behaves as it does. Its main tradeoff is length: readers seeking only enough Python for a specific data project may prefer targeted chapters alongside a smaller practical guide.

A useful exercise is to write a CSV summary script, split it into functions, and test empty files and missing fields. Explain which objects are mutable and which errors your code should catch. That demonstrates understanding more clearly than finishing a page count.

After reading a book like this, you will be ready to tackle Machine Learning books and courses. Check them out here!

Learning Python by Mark Lutz

For more Python material check out our categories on Python books and Python Online Courses.

Additional online resources to learn elegant and awesome Python are:

• PEP8 Python Style guide.
• Kaggle Learn Python Tutorials.
• Real Python programming guides.
• Code Wars: code code and code.
• DataCamp Python Courses.

Thanks for reading How to Learn Machine Learning and have a wonderful day!