My Favorite Python Books and Courses for Beginners

javinpaul - Apr 14 '23 - - Dev Community

Hello guys, if you want to learn Python Coding in 2023 and looking for the best Python books then you have come to the right place. Earlier, I have shared both the best Python courses and free courses to learn Python, and today I am going to share some of the best books to learn Python in 2023

Python is one of the most popular programming languages, and there is a vast demand for Programmers who knows Python, and the best part is its popularity and demand is increasing every passing day.

Even though I am a Java Programmer, I have been learning Python to add another tool into my arsenal and also to boost my profile. In the real world, you often find a big project in a bank or insurance domain leveraging several technologies together, like Java, C++, Python, UNIX, SQL, and several others.

Being a Polyglot developer also pays off well. You also create a better impression on Interviews. I know many interviewers who prefer to higher programmer who knows more than one language.

Though, my story of learning Python is a little bit different. A couple of years back, I was debugging an issue where we are not receiving multicast traffic via UDP. I searched for a lot of commands in Linux to listen to UDP traffic and print the data which is coming, but couldn't find one.

Then, I asked for help from colleagues sitting next to me and happened to be a Python expert. He wrote just a few lines of code using the Python module and boom I had a UDP listener.

No, compilation, no classpath issue nothing, it's just like a Linux command.

This incident inspired me to learn Python as an additional skill. Since I am a nerd and I love researching and reading a book, I have a vast collection of programming books on various topics and programming languages.

And, today I am sharing some of the best Python books which I have used to learn Python and you can also use them to learn Python from scratch in 2023.

I am still learning Python given I don't use it regularly, but these are great books to help anyone who wishes to learn Python in a quick time.

If you prefer active learning and learn more by watching tutorials then you can also join 100 Days of Code: The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp for 2023 course by Angela Yu on Udemy, with 60-hour of on demand video and 230 articles, its one of the most engaging and up-to-date course to learn Python programming language in 2023.

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6 Best Python Books to learn Coding in 2023

Here is my list of some of the best books and courses to learn Python programming from scratch in 2023.

Book is a great source of most complete knowledge while courses are good for learning 20% important stuff which you will use 80% of your time. I suggest reading a book and joining a relevant course to get the best of both worlds.

Anyway, let's start with my favorite Python book

1. Head First Python
The Head First Python, 2nd edition by Paul Barry, is one of the best books to learn Python.

There is many reasons this is the best book to learn Python from scratch, especially for beginners, but the most important one is the headfirst style. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Love the pictures, comments, diagrams, fireside chat, and everything in this book. The only issue with the book is many programmers might not find the format good.

I know a couple of my friend thinks it's a comic book rather than a technical book, but that doesn't undermine how useful it is to teach Python to an absolute beginner.

If you are like me, who like silly pictures and head the original style of teaching, then this is the right book for you to start with Python.

If you are just starting to learn Python, this would be a great book, to begin with, but if you prefer watching online courses on Youtube videos then you can also combine this book with The Complete Python 3 Bootcamp course on Udemy if you want to learn faster.

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2. Learn Python the hard way
If you search on the Internet for the best book about Python, most likely, you will be routed to this book.

It's one of the highly regarded books. It's also free to read online, but if you like to read a paperback book, you can also order it from Amazon.

Zed Shaws has done a great job with Learn Python, the Hardway. It is a beautiful introduction to Python, and more importantly, it's very concise, which makes for a handy review resource as well.

There are a few portions on the online book that I recall were a bit confusing, but Zed does a great job of monitoring the comments and giving extra help when necessary. In short, undoubtedly one of the top 2 books to learn Python.

The online HTML version is free, so you can read it on your iPad, and if you need a Python course to join along with this book, I suggest you check out the Python Programming MasterClassto get the best of both worlds.

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3. Learning Python
Learning Python by Mark Lutz is another good book to learn Python. It's a must-read for curious developers, I mean, those who want to understand the "why" as well as the "how." It provides comprehensive coverage of Python.

It covers almost everything you need to know about programming in Python: data types, operators, statements, syntax, modules, functions, packages, and much more. I really like the first chapter and Q&A session about Python and why people use Python.

If you are a beginner, this can help you a lot. One of the great things about this book is that every chapter ends with a quiz, so you need to challenge yourself all the time. In short, a must-read book for a beginner to learn Python.

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4. Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition
The Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 3rd Edition By Michael Dawson, is one more highly recommended book to learn Python.

The content is exciting in this book because of its focus on video gram programming. By the time you finish the magazine, you are all ready to create your own games. Since many programmers love video games, they can easily co-related with the concepts explained in this book.

I won't rate this as high as the first two books on the list, but if game development is something that inspires you and hooks you to read, then this is the right book to learn Python for you.

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5. Automating Boring Stuff with Python
This is another book I had read along with Head First Python when I started learning Python a couple of years back. Since then, this is my go-to book for Python and you can also read this book in 2023 to learn Python.

I started learning Python to automate a few things, and the title got me, but I didn't get disappointed as the book truly lives the title.

It will straightway teach you all practical stuff like sending an email notification, reading files, appending into XLS, scraping data on the web, and automating trivial things using Python without you spending days and night learning sorting algorithms, object-oriented programming, and all kinds of computer science stuff.

If you are someone who learns by doing real things, then this book is for you. Another great thing is that author Al Sweigart has also created an online course on Udemy with the same title "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming," so if you want to listen to him for more active learning you can also join that course along with reading this book.

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6. Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming

If you are looking for a crash course sort of book to learn Python programing language which is both hands-on, project based and not too lengthy then this book is for you.

In this Python Crash course book, author Eric Matthes has will teach you both programming basics and python basics using clean code method. You will learn basic programming concepts like variables, lists, classes, and loops, and practice writing clean code with exercises for each topic

The book also covers essentia Python libraries and tools like pytest, Pygame, Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django which will then be used to create more advanced and projects like complex 2D games that respond to keypresses and mouse clicks.

You will also build apps that allow users to create accounts and manage their own data, and deploy your apps online and learn how to visualize data by creating interactive data visualizations using a variety of datasets.

Along the way, you will also learn debugging and troubleshooting which is a key skill for any programmer. Overall a great book to learn Python from scratch and I highly recommend it for any beginner who wants to learn programming and software development using Python in 2023.

And, if you need a course go along with this book, you can take a look at Complete Python Developer in 2023: Zero to Mastery course by Andrei Negaoie, it's also a great resource to learn Python online.

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Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like this Python course. You can also use my code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on any subscription you choose.

That's all in this list of the 6 best Python books for beginners to learn coding in 2023. Python and Java are the most popular mainstream programming language, and they are now taught in almost every college, university, and programming course.

Python has recently surpassed Java as the most taught programming language in USA Universities. Learning Python pays off in a big way, it not only help you to create a quick prototype but also helps a lot in an object-oriented application in Python.

Other Python Tutorials and Resources you may like:

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Python books, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any suggestions or feedback or any other text you want to share with us, then please drop a note.

P. S. --- If you prefer watching over reading then you can also join The Complete Python 3 Bootcamp course by Jose Portilla on Udemy to learn Python from scratch in 2023. This is one of the most complete and hands-on courses to learn Python and create your applications and games.

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