Menu
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Head First Python” as Want to Read:
Rate this book
Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide (True PDF) Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide, 2nd Edition; Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide; Head First Ajax: A Brain-Friendly Guide; Head First Agile: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Agile and the PMI-ACP Certifica. Head First Agile: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Agile and the PMI-ACP.
See a Problem?
We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Head First Python by Paul Barry.
Not the book you’re looking for?Preview — Head First Python by Paul Barry
(Head First Series)
Ever wished you could learn Python from a book? Head First Python is a complete learning experience for Python that helps you learn the language through a unique method that goes beyond syntax and how-to manuals, helping you understand how to be a great Python programmer. You'll quickly learn the language's fundamentals, then move onto persistence, exception handling, web...more
Published December 7th 2010 by O'Reilly Media (first published January 1st 2010)
To see what your friends thought of this book,please sign up.
To ask other readers questions aboutHead First Python,please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Head First Python
python books 19 books — 1 voter
Humble Book Bundle: Head First Series by O'Reilly 15 books — 2 voters
More lists with this book...
Rating details
|
Book review: Head First Python by Paul Barry
I just finished reading 'Head First Python' and had great fun doing so.
I Think that this is a great book for the beginning Python developer. But unlike a lot of other books that aim for beginners, good practices aren't ignored for the sake of simplicity. The practices are explained and used.
The head first series can take some getting used to. Whenever I talk to someone about the head first books I advice them to borrow a copy before buying or take a lo...more
I just finished reading 'Head First Python' and had great fun doing so.
I Think that this is a great book for the beginning Python developer. But unlike a lot of other books that aim for beginners, good practices aren't ignored for the sake of simplicity. The practices are explained and used.
The head first series can take some getting used to. Whenever I talk to someone about the head first books I advice them to borrow a copy before buying or take a lo...more
Nov 23, 2011Khalid rated it it was ok
boring, Totally inappropriate examples, poor unlike other headfirst books
Oooo I hate the style of this book. About halfway through, one of my bosses realized that I wasn't learning anything from it and gave me a different Python book to read. It is probably a very good book for some people as it tries to make everything interesting and fun. I just can't stand having jokes everywhere and ridiculous activities to do. It definitely isn't my learning style.
Apr 10, 2016Georgina rated it did not like it
Ugh. I hate the cutesy style of this book. Tossing it into the 'Sell to Half Price' box. There are so many better books on the market. (Ones that don't waste space on useless graphics and hand-holding baby-talk.)
Feb 10, 2019Steve rated it really liked it
Solid intro to Python. I think. lol. But who knows? Haven't read many of these.
Anyway, liked how you worked through real-world problems and coded along with the author. Seemed like a pretty natural way to learn. The book helped ground me in the Python universe; from storing data by Pickle, to SQLite and Google App Engine, defining functions, Android apps and CGI scripts. There is a lot here but so much more to learn.
I do have a much better feel for the landscape of Python.
Anyway, liked how you worked through real-world problems and coded along with the author. Seemed like a pretty natural way to learn. The book helped ground me in the Python universe; from storing data by Pickle, to SQLite and Google App Engine, defining functions, Android apps and CGI scripts. There is a lot here but so much more to learn.
I do have a much better feel for the landscape of Python.
This book is NOT definitely the best book to begin with Python. For the following reasons:
1. First 100 pages (almost) of this book and the primary focus was 'List', which is basically one of four data structures in Python. I understand the importance of it and why it needs a thorough elucidation but I got utterly bored when they kept explaining the same thing in different ways. Could've made a better and concise explanation.
2. Impractical exercises. They will just give you a string and ask you t...more
1. First 100 pages (almost) of this book and the primary focus was 'List', which is basically one of four data structures in Python. I understand the importance of it and why it needs a thorough elucidation but I got utterly bored when they kept explaining the same thing in different ways. Could've made a better and concise explanation.
2. Impractical exercises. They will just give you a string and ask you t...more
Dec 25, 2017Phil Simon rated it really liked it
When faced with a bunch of different Python books, this one looked like the most engaging. I opted for the Kindle edition, as I assumed that the search function would be essential.
To be sure, HFP gets you right into coding. Before you know it, you're writing programs. I also revisited some SQL statements and learned some Mac Terminal commands along the way. I found Homebrew and MariaDB far easier to navigate than MySQL.
I was able to follow along and endure the inevitable bumps. (One minor pet...more
To be sure, HFP gets you right into coding. Before you know it, you're writing programs. I also revisited some SQL statements and learned some Mac Terminal commands along the way. I found Homebrew and MariaDB far easier to navigate than MySQL.
I was able to follow along and endure the inevitable bumps. (One minor pet...more
Feb 25, 2018Conrad rated it did not like it · review of another edition
Terrible presentation. No one wanting to become a professional programmer should touch this. The authors think they are some sort of graphic design geniuses (and they say so), but it's an uncoordinated mess. Other graphics-oriented titles (Visual QuickStart, Manga Guides, etc) pull this off, but not these people. Do not waste your time or money.
The book is surely not for those who want to start learning python.
It concentrates on Flask (a web framework) and use this application throw the whole book (more or less).
Covers object oriented programming in a very shallow way.
I recommend it if you know some Python and want to try Flask and some Python mainlines.
It concentrates on Flask (a web framework) and use this application throw the whole book (more or less).
Covers object oriented programming in a very shallow way.
I recommend it if you know some Python and want to try Flask and some Python mainlines.
Easy for begginers. Not as good as design patterns but still good for people want to start programming. And python is good too for that purpose.
the use of real-world examples was helpful, but it wasn't direct enough for me.
I found the flask part extra, deviates from proper python programming subject a bit.
Jun 20, 2017Dan Carey rated it really liked it · review of another edition Shelves: computer-science, e-books, reference, dead-tree-version
This proved to be quite efficient and enjoyable. The examples are clear and the exercises are challenging but not daunting.
Aug 26, 2017Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Easy to read and to follow. I feel like I can quickly write something useful in Python for home or office. Don't skip the appendices though - there's so much out there!
Jan 10, 2017Miguel Vargas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Excellent book. I undoubtedly recommend to read it. It would be awesome if this has more about object oriented programming.
This wasn't nearly as helpful as the other Head First book I read; a lot of time in this was dedicated to functionality that I didn't actually want to learn yet (i.e. sharing stuff online).
Jun 07, 2018Himanshu Gupta rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Full review on:
http://www.enlistq.com/book-review-he...
http://www.enlistq.com/book-review-he...
May 20, 2017Chaitat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I have read the previous version. They are a lot different IMO. I like both versions. But I like this second version more as there are several important topics I find it is important to learn.
This was my first 'Head First' book I actually tried reading. The concept seems to work well, although I did most of the exercises in my head and skimmed through places which I knew or wasn't interested in our did not have time for (library deadline was approaching). I think it's a good book for a beginner developer who knows at least one programming language. I doubt it will work for an absolute beginner as an introduction into programming. I felt like I am not really a target audience of this...more
Dec 09, 2012Headsink headsink rated it it was amazing
This book is GREAT, like all Head First series you will have graphical summary of what you will get from the book in the 'What you will learn from this book' before the content section. If you just hate too much words and prefer books with pictures which go straight to the point, this is for you!
This book will give you a hands-on step-by-step guide covering the theory and program example you can just test after you installed the compiler and IDE(Installation guide also included).
You will learn...more
This book will give you a hands-on step-by-step guide covering the theory and program example you can just test after you installed the compiler and IDE(Installation guide also included).
You will learn...more
This book is a very good starting point for those who are familiar with programming and don't know anything about Python. It starts with the very basics and along the way the reader will learn very useful tips and tricks.
The examples are really good and like all Head First books you have to try them yourself to take full advantage of the learning process.
Chapters like (Web Development, Mobile Development and Scaling Your App) cover topics so broad that each one of them can be covered in a sep...more
The examples are really good and like all Head First books you have to try them yourself to take full advantage of the learning process.
Chapters like (Web Development, Mobile Development and Scaling Your App) cover topics so broad that each one of them can be covered in a sep...more
Jun 01, 2012Ben rated it liked it
Really hard to apply the examples to real-world needs, which isn't the case in other Head First books I've used. Also the Monty Python references became irritating by the end of the introduction. Not bad otherwise, I like the way it uses petition and practice to really teach the ideas, not just explain them.
May 21, 2016Chitrank Dixit rated it really liked it
One of the best book for the beginners in python programming and for those who like comics and get engaged better with comic captions and storyline, it does not explains each and every feature of python in depth but quite enough to get you started with python and make your python modules and publish them to pypi.
Definitely worth the read if you're new to Python. I skipped the Android / Mobile sections since it took forever to even load the Android emulators. The book builds on itself so you do have to follow it linearly.
The beginning of the book was great, but some of the tools that were used lated in the book are now outdated. I will be the first in line for the updated version of this book. It's time for another one.
This book is a very good start , especially If you're facing difficulty sitting on desk and go back to study , and it's wonderful for a beginner, the book is amusing , you can't get board of.
When it got to the interesting stuff about app building, the programs referenced were already too outdated.
Oct 29, 2016Gangsta added it
Book is not for experienced programmer. You won't learn a tip of iceberg. Not really python nor web framework.
Sep 25, 2012Serge Pierro rated it liked it
I like the approach that the Head First line of books uses, and this book is no exception. It gives a nice overview of Python.
Even after using it for months, I can't tell you how much I learned about Python from this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.Be the first to start one »
Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates
See similar books…
If you like books and love to build cool products, we may be looking for you.
Learn more »
Learn more »
See top shelves…
2followers
Head First Series(1 - 10 of 45 books)
“code is read more than it’s written. This” — 0 likes
“One such usage is the turtle module (which is also part of the standard library). To quote the Python docs: Turtle graphics is a popular way for introducing programming to kids. It was part of the original Logo programming language developed by Wally Feurzig and Seymour Papert in 1966. Programmers” — 0 likes
More quotes…