Python is an incredibly powerful programming language. Due to its versatile nature and simplicity, it continues to capture the interest of developers, those new and experienced alike. Do you happen to be one of them? If yes, you’re in the right place. As the language’s popularity shows no sign of slowing, the opportunities in Python programming are always growing. Python is widely used in a variety of fields, from web development, data science, and machine learning to game design. No wonder, then, that more and more people decide to learn the language. However, with the abundance of various resources around, finding useful learning material is far from easy. It can get frustrating. Don’t worry, though—we’re here to help. Whether you’re a novice starting to learn Python, an experienced developer wishing to take your skills to the next level, or maybe a tech leader wanting to inspire your team—we found the best Python books for you. In this article, we’ll list highly acclaimed and up-to-date Python books as well as the reasons why they’re worth your time. We’ll take a look at how they can help you develop your skills and boost your career, regardless of your level of experience. Our list includes introductory books suitable for beginners as well as those perfect for more advanced programmers.
Top Python books for beginners
1. Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming by Eric Matthes
- Date of publication: 2019, 3rd edition coming in January 2023
- What makes it special: fun and hands-on projects, easy language
- Price: $22
- Where you can get the book: click here
Starting with one of the bestselling Python books in the world (with more than 1 million copies sold!), Python Crash Course is a fast-paced and on-point introductory guide to programming in Python.
It’s an excellent choice for those with no previous knowledge of programming at all, but those wanting to brush up on their skills will find it useful, too.
The book is cleverly split into two parts. The first walks you through the basic Python elements and data structures, devoting some time to code testing and debugging, as well. The second part, on the other hand, tests your knowledge with three challenging yet cool projects: creating a Space Invaders-inspired arcade game, data visualizations in matplotlib, and a simple app in Django.
2. Head First Python, 2nd Edition: A Brain-Friendly Guide by Paul Barry
- Date of publication: 2016
- What makes it special: engaging visual format, playful and multi-sensory learning experience, concise and practical
- Price: $50
- Where you can get the book: click here
If you don’t feel like reading long and heavy texts, this book is a good fit for you. Its visually unique format that is rich in illustrations not only makes complex topics easier to grasp, but also keeps you engaged and entertained throughout the whole learning process. You certainly won’t be bored.
The book covers everything from the basics of Python programming to working with built-in functions and data structures. You can expect thought-provoking questions along with challenging-yet-doable tasks that help you retain the new knowledge.
Other than that, it finishes with a single project of building a web app using a microframework, Flask. Choose it if you’re starting from scratch with Python, but already have some programming experience.
3. Python Programming for Beginners: 2 Books in 1—The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Learn Python Programming Quickly with Practical Exercises by Mark Reed
- Date of publication: 2022
- What makes it special: clear, informative, and easy-to-follow content
- Price: $20
- Where you can get the book: click here
Whether you’re a non-programmer or you’re already familiar with programming, this is another great book to help you take the first steps in Python and get the most out of it. It delivers what it promises in the title: a step-by-step guide to learn Python in a fast and easy way.
What we really like about this two-volume book is that it provides the right balance between theory and practice. While the first book offers well-defined and interesting explanations, the second book serves as a workbook that consolidates what you’ve learned so far. Additionally, the interactive nature of the guide makes it a fun and effective learning experience.
Free beginner-level Python book
4. A Byte of Python by Swaroop C.H.
- Date of publication: 2013
- What makes it special: good to start with, regularly updated, solid, brief, and free
- Price: FREE
- Where you can get the book: click here
Are you looking for a gentle, no-nonsense, and quick intro to Python for free? You won’t find a better one than A Byte of Python! Though it’s not a definite guide, it gives you an overall view of programming in Python, and we think it’s definitely worth checking out.
Given the complexity of Python, the book is broken up into a series of short sections covering most of the language’s features. Each topic is followed by one coding example and the whole layout is well-structured and easy to follow.
We can’t help but mention that the entire code is available on GitHub and even though the book was published in 2013, the content is regularly updated—which are two more reasons for giving this short guide a try.
Best advanced Python books
5. Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming, 2nd Edition by Luciano Ramalho
- Date of publication: 2022
- What makes it special: crystal-clear examples, the author’s interesting insights, historical context, friendly style
- Price: $45
- Where you can get the book: click here
Fluent Python is a must-read for all intermediate-to-advanced developers looking to take their skills to the next level. Keep in mind, though, that you need a working knowledge of the language before you decide to pick up this book—newbies might struggle to follow it.
Despite being a chunky piece of writing, it’s a great book. It teaches you how to think more Pythonically and write code that’s shorter, faster, and more readable. The author focuses on data models and structures, object-oriented idioms, and metaprogramming along with an intro to machine learning that keeps on growing in popularity.
All of this is written in a casual and user-friendly way that only makes the reading process more enjoyable.
6. Python Tricks: A Buffet of Awesome Python Features by Dan Bader
- Date of publication: 2017
- What makes it special: interesting format, practical tips, relaxed and engaging style
- Price: $30
- Where you can get the book: click here
Another worthwhile book for leveling up your skills is Python Tricks. As the name suggests, it’s a compilation of useful tips and tricks, giving you a comprehensive walkthrough of the more advanced aspects of the language.
You won’t find over-explaining here—the author keeps everything short and practical. He provides enough background details to explain things well and help you discover both Python’s best practices and the power of idiomatic code.
This book will leave you with a deeper understanding of the inner workings of Python and get you up to speed on becoming a more confident and effective Pythonista.
7. Elements of Programming Interviews in Python: The Insiders’ Guide by Adnan Aziz, Tsung-Hsien Lee, and Amit Prakash
- Date of publication: 2016
- What makes it special: real-life coding interview questions, super helpful examples and tips
- Price: $35
- Where you can get the book: click here
Have you ever wanted to work at a successful tech company but the idea of having a technical interview sent shivers down your spine? Or maybe you struggled with an interview problem that could’ve been solved within minutes? If yes, this is the right book for you. If not, it’s still rewarding to read it, as you’ll learn a lot.
Apart from featuring 300 real-world computing problems alongside detailed solutions, it provides you with non-technical interview tips. Once you’ve mastered all the questions covered in this book, you’ll be more than ready to ace a programming interview, and you’ll improve your skills with Python.
8. Introduction to Machine Learning with Python: A Guide for Data Scientists by Andreas Müller and Sarah Guido
- Date of publication: 2016
- What makes it special: strong foundation of ML concepts, digestible language, hands-on approach
- Price: $50
- Where you can get the book: click here
With more organizations using machine learning as an integral element of their applications and projects, anyone interested in bridging Python knowledge with ML expertise should take a closer look at this title.
Unlike other Python books, this one gives you a solid intro to ML and data science in a relatively digestible form, teaching you how to build your own machine learning solutions and algorithms.
After reading it, you’ll not only become a skilled Scikit-Learn user, but you’ll also know how to write clean machine-oriented code, use graph algorithms, and apply them to data compression problems. However, if you’d like to dive deeper into the complexity of ML, check out the book below.
9. Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems, 2nd Edition by Aurélien Géron
- Date of publication: 2019, 3rd edition coming in November 2022
- What makes it special: amazing graphics, perfect balance between detail and practicality, covers a vast number of ML fields
- Price: $57
- Where you can get the book: click here
Anyone taking up machine learning with Python should consider reading this book. It’s an excellent resource for gaining an intuitive understanding of the concepts and tools for building machine learning models. All you need is some solid programming experience to get started.
The book is divided into two sections. The first part covers the fundamentals of machine learning, taking you through hands-on coding with Scikit-Learn. In the second part, you’ll get comprehensive coverage of artificial neural networks and deep learning with Keras and TensorFlow.
What we like about this book is that it combines the perfect amount of theory and its applications, uses concrete examples, and is written in a friendly style.
10. Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with Pandas, NumPy, and Jupyter, 3rd Edition by Wes McKinney
- Date of publication: 2022
- What makes it special: peppered with examples and good code snippets, real-world data analysis problems
- Price: $50
- Where you can get the book: click here
If data science sparks your interest and you’d like to explore this topic in more depth, go for this book—it’s another one for more advanced developers. Python for Data Analysis is ideal for experienced programmers new to data science, although analysts new to Python might find it a useful source of information, as well.
This hands-on guide is packed with complete instructions for manipulating, processing, cleaning, and crunching data in Python. After reading it, you’ll know how to solve data analysis problems thanks to practical case studies included in the book, as well as learn the latest versions of pandas, NumPy, and Jupyter.
We truly recommend it as a complimentary tool for anyone thinking of becoming a data analyst or a data scientist.
Final thoughts on 10 top Python books
It goes without saying that Python is one of the most popular and fastest-growing programming languages in the world. What makes it special is that it can be used for almost any software development application, since it’s simple, flexible, and reliable.
With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a whopping number of people pick it up every year. However, taking up coding in Python is like acquiring any other skill: you need the right resources to guide you in the right direction. Selecting appropriate books might be hard, especially if you’re surrounded by so many options, so…
There you have it—top Python books worth reading. We went through a wide range of books, choosing only those highly recommended and up-to-date. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting your adventure with coding in Python or you’d like to dig deeper into more advanced concepts, you’ll surely find what you’re looking for here.
If you want to learn more about Python, have a look at these resources, since you might find them useful:
- Top 11 Python Newsletters
- Top 14 Blogs to Get You Started on Python
- How to Learn Python: Top Sites and Courses, from Beginner to Pro
Thank you for reading this list of our favorite Python books. We hope that you’ll find them interesting and helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. Having 18+ years of experience under our belt, we’ll be more than happy to share our knowledge with you.
