About Programming Python, 2nd Edition

Overview O'Reilly published the 2nd edition of the book Programming Python in early March 2001. I saw it first during a book signing at the 9th International Python Conference in Long Beach. This edition is an almost completely new 1250-page book, which focuses on application-level programming concepts, and advanced Python topics. Its major parts deal with Internet scripting, GUI programming, system interfaces, C integration, and text and database processing. As of late 2002, I have seen Dutch and Russian language translations of this edition. Main support link: see this page for book notes and updates.

Resources

• You may read more about the book at O'Reilly's catalog page
• The book's examples distribution package, an alternative to its CD
• The book updates page where I collect Python and book notes
• [Defunct] O'Reilly posted a beta chapter from the book, Advanced Internet Topics
• [Defunct] Also available online: the book's Table of Contents, and Index
• [Defunct] The book's server-side web examples page, with the PyErrata site

More Resources

• I did an O'Reilly interview shortly after the book came out
• An O'Reilly article about the book's size and title
• An O'Reilly banner ad for the book spotted on slashdot
• In memory of Frank Willison: mentor, friend, and original editor of my Python books
• [Changed] The hardcover Russian language translation of this edition
• [Defunct] The first translation I saw: the Dutch language edition

Details

This edition has been updated for Python version 2. More significantly, it is also an almost entirely new advanced Python topics book--a complete rewrite from the ground up. Very roughly, this edition includes:

• 240 pages (4 chapters) on Systems Programming
• 260 pages (4 chapters) on GUI Programming
• 400 pages (6 chapters) on Internet Scripting
• 150 pages (3 chapters) on Databases, Objects, and Text
• 100 pages (2 chapters) on Python/C Integration

To give you some idea of this edition's scope, it spans 1256 pages in its final published format, and includes some 446 program file examples, and 302 screen shots (broken down here). See the table of contents link above for more content details.

The book also includes a brand new CD-ROM with book examples, Python version 2.x release packages and installers, and related open source packages (NumPy, SWIG, PIL, PMW, and so on). Among other things, the book examples distribution on CD includes self-launching and Python-coded clocks, text editors, image viewers, email clients, calculators, and more.