About this book
The Quick Python Book, Third Edition, is intended for people who already have experience in one or more programming languages and want to learn the basics of Python 3 as quickly and directly as possible. Although some basic concepts are covered, there’s no attempt to teach fundamental programming skills in this book, and the basic concepts of flow control, OOP, file access, exception handling, and the like are assumed. This book may also be of use to users of earlier versions of Python who want a concise reference for Python 3.
Part 1 introduces Python and explains how to download and install it on your system. It also includes a very general survey of the language, which will be most useful for experienced programmers looking for a high-level view of Python.
Part 2 is the heart of the book. It covers the ingredients necessary for obtaining a working knowledge of Python as a general-purpose programming language. The chapters are designed to allow readers who are beginning to learn Python to work their way through sequentially, picking up knowledge of the key points of the language. These chapters also contain some more-advanced sections, allowing you to return to find in one place all the necessary information about a construct or topic.
Part 3 introduces advanced language features of Python—elements of the language that aren’t essential to its use but that can certainly be a great help to a serious Python programmer.