What do you think?
Rate this book
Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
Python Crash Course is a fast-paced, thorough introduction to programming with Python that will have you writing programs, solving problems, and making things that work in no time.
In the first half of the book, you'll learn about basic programming concepts, such as lists, dictionaries, classes, and loops, and practice writing clean and readable code with exercises for each topic. You'll also learn how to make your programs interactive and how to test your code safely before adding it to a project. In the second half of the book, you'll put your new knowledge into practice with three substantial projects: a Space Invaders-inspired arcade game, data visualizations with Python's super-handy libraries, and a simple web app you can deploy online.
As you work through Python Crash Course , you'll learn how to:
If you've been thinking seriously about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will get you up to speed and have you writing real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code!
In the first half of the book, you'll learn about basic programming concepts, such as lists, dictionaries, classes, and loops, and practice writing clean and readable code with exercises for each topic. You'll also learn how to make your programs interactive and how to test your code safely before adding it to a project. In the second half of the book, you'll put your new knowledge into practice with three substantial projects: a Space Invaders-inspired arcade game, data visualizations with Python's super-handy libraries, and a simple web app you can deploy online.
As you work through Python Crash Course , you'll learn how to:
If you've been thinking seriously about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will get you up to speed and have you writing real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code!
560 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2015
3,614 people are currently reading
5,725 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
May 7, 2023
I wanted to refresh my Python knowledge for a pet project, and instead of re-reading the Head First Python, I thought of trying something else. I now know that I made the correct decision by opting to go with Matthes's Python Crash Course, for, this is much more organized than most other beginner books I've seen so far and quite fun to follow along. Also, at least at the time of this review, I think it is safe to say that between this and Head First Python, Python Crash Course is a clear winner. Recommended to any who needs to learn python from scratch!
August 2, 2016
Great book for absolute beginners. The author holds your hand and walks you through every step, so it is easy to understand and nearly impossible to get lost. I worked through the entire book and felt like I acquired a good foundation in Python programming.
I did have two minor issues with the book, though. First, the problem sets usually just have you redo examples worked through in the text with only cosmetic changes like using a longer list or calculating cubes instead of squares. While this approach means you will rarely get stuck on the exercises, it also makes doing the exercises rather tedious. I would have liked to have slightly more challenging exercises.
Second, the projects in the back half of the book make extensive use of third-party packages. I suppose the use such packages is necessary to develop interesting projects without wasting time reinventing the wheel, but often the author uses code from these packages with little or no explanation. As a result, you will probably copying lines of code with little understanding of what they do. Of course, you could look up the package documentation online, but in any case the book itself could have benefited from a little more explanation of what is going on in the projects.
I did have two minor issues with the book, though. First, the problem sets usually just have you redo examples worked through in the text with only cosmetic changes like using a longer list or calculating cubes instead of squares. While this approach means you will rarely get stuck on the exercises, it also makes doing the exercises rather tedious. I would have liked to have slightly more challenging exercises.
Second, the projects in the back half of the book make extensive use of third-party packages. I suppose the use such packages is necessary to develop interesting projects without wasting time reinventing the wheel, but often the author uses code from these packages with little or no explanation. As a result, you will probably copying lines of code with little understanding of what they do. Of course, you could look up the package documentation online, but in any case the book itself could have benefited from a little more explanation of what is going on in the projects.
March 20, 2018
This book is a rank up on most of the Python project books that I have seen aimed at a beginner or low intermediate programmer.
It includes a selection of projects that are genuinely interesting and aimed at just the right level for a first go at data visualization, web applications and working with APIs. The web application section on Django was particularly helpful and quite inspiring in showing how to build a simple but professional looking web app. My ambition to plot Japanese ukiyoe series such as Hiroshige's onto Google Maps in a nice looking website is getting closer to realization.
With my new found knowledge I am also looking forward to browsing through the Facebook API and developing a web app that will give me access to the data of hundreds of millions of people. Thanks to this book it would then be no trouble to then use pyplot or possibly bokeh or some other Python library to prepare and distribute professional looking visualizations of personal data that everyone would prefer be kept private.
In fact I see that the allows integration with Google APP Engine and Flask, which should make the task easier.
It includes a selection of projects that are genuinely interesting and aimed at just the right level for a first go at data visualization, web applications and working with APIs. The web application section on Django was particularly helpful and quite inspiring in showing how to build a simple but professional looking web app. My ambition to plot Japanese ukiyoe series such as Hiroshige's onto Google Maps in a nice looking website is getting closer to realization.
With my new found knowledge I am also looking forward to browsing through the Facebook API and developing a web app that will give me access to the data of hundreds of millions of people. Thanks to this book it would then be no trouble to then use pyplot or possibly bokeh or some other Python library to prepare and distribute professional looking visualizations of personal data that everyone would prefer be kept private.
In fact I see that the allows integration with Google APP Engine and Flask, which should make the task easier.
February 9, 2021
This book is a game changer.
I worked on it every morning for about a month and a half and can confidently say I'm decent with Python now.
The book is structured in a way that increases in difficulty as you go along, but Matthes does a superb job of making sure the necessary material has been covered before introducing new topics.
What helped cement the concepts I was learning the most while making my way through this book were the practice exercises. Also, if you're ever stuck on anything, there are a lot of folks who have already completed this book and have posted questions and solutions to StackOverflow.
I once got in touch with the author about a technical issue and he promptly responded, which to me shows a pretty big dedication to his students and genuine passion for what he does.
I worked on it every morning for about a month and a half and can confidently say I'm decent with Python now.
The book is structured in a way that increases in difficulty as you go along, but Matthes does a superb job of making sure the necessary material has been covered before introducing new topics.
What helped cement the concepts I was learning the most while making my way through this book were the practice exercises. Also, if you're ever stuck on anything, there are a lot of folks who have already completed this book and have posted questions and solutions to StackOverflow.
I once got in touch with the author about a technical issue and he promptly responded, which to me shows a pretty big dedication to his students and genuine passion for what he does.
June 3, 2022
برای آموزش برنامه نویسی دوره های ویدیویی خیلی بهتر هستن ولی خوبی کتاب اینه هرموقع که دستوری رو فراموش کردی راحت بهش دسترسی داری، مثل داکیومنت خود زبان برنامه نویسی یا کتابخونه با این تفاوت که معمولا کتاب ساده تر و مفصل تر نوشته شده
July 2, 2018
Excellent book if you want to learn to program and you want to learn Python. Best book, I've come across for beginners. I enjoyed the exercises at the end of each chapter which helped to reinforce the content.
October 10, 2024
نوزده مهر 1403
اگه کتابی میخواید که پایتون رو به روش ساده اموزش بده این کتاب برای شماست.
این کتاب رو بعد از امتحان کردن چند دوره ی آموزشی ویدیویی پیدا کردم که خیلی ساده پایتون رو آموزش میده.
کتاب 20 چپتره که یازده چپتر اول پایتون رو اموزش میده و 9 چپتر باقی مانده شامل سه پروژه ست که دانش تون رو در محیط عملی بسنجه.
اگه کتابی میخواید که پایتون رو به روش ساده اموزش بده این کتاب برای شماست.
این کتاب رو بعد از امتحان کردن چند دوره ی آموزشی ویدیویی پیدا کردم که خیلی ساده پایتون رو آموزش میده.
کتاب 20 چپتره که یازده چپتر اول پایتون رو اموزش میده و 9 چپتر باقی مانده شامل سه پروژه ست که دانش تون رو در محیط عملی بسنجه.
November 13, 2018
As a professional programmer who has tried almost every book, app or web site to get my three kids interested in programming, mostly in vain, I am recommending this book, the only one that kept them interested, working hard and produced a visible progress.
Python programming is easy, so Python is an ideal language for beginners, but the installation can be a nightmare. I installed Python for the kids with Anaconda on Windows and it took my an hour to get it right with the correct version of Python, Spyder, Pygame etc. and the correct settings for saving scripts in the right folder etc. The process is almost impossible for a beginner, so a book for beginners should coach installation in a lot more detail.
The book makes the choice of editing scripts with a basic editor, although most beginners would rather use an IDE like Spyder or Visual Studio.
Finally, there is nothing about debugging, which is a bit harsh for learning how to program. Debugging in Python is not standard and down to the IDE, so, once again, the choice of an IDE is crucial to learning progress. I put my kids on Spyder, simpler than Visual Studio, and it just worked.
Python programming is easy, so Python is an ideal language for beginners, but the installation can be a nightmare. I installed Python for the kids with Anaconda on Windows and it took my an hour to get it right with the correct version of Python, Spyder, Pygame etc. and the correct settings for saving scripts in the right folder etc. The process is almost impossible for a beginner, so a book for beginners should coach installation in a lot more detail.
The book makes the choice of editing scripts with a basic editor, although most beginners would rather use an IDE like Spyder or Visual Studio.
Finally, there is nothing about debugging, which is a bit harsh for learning how to program. Debugging in Python is not standard and down to the IDE, so, once again, the choice of an IDE is crucial to learning progress. I put my kids on Spyder, simpler than Visual Studio, and it just worked.
June 12, 2019
An excellent resource for any beginners wishing to learn Python! The first half of the book walks the user through the various fundamentals of programming (looping, lists, functions, classes, etc) before moving on to specific projects in the second half. The book's usefulness is really dependent on the reader though, as completing the exercises in each chapter is crucial to internalizing the skills it means to teach.
My only complaint with this book is the paucity of explanation given for much of the code in the web design project. Although this project is tangentially related to Python through the Django framework, much of the code Matthes uses to craft his website is hyper-specific, and bears little resemblance to the incremental and digestible code used throughout the rest of the book. Though I may have learned the fundamental concepts of Python web development, if you asked me to code the back end of a website with no outside help, I would probably start crying.
In all seriousness though, this book is a great introduction to Python, and has left me feeling inspired to build my skillset even further!
My only complaint with this book is the paucity of explanation given for much of the code in the web design project. Although this project is tangentially related to Python through the Django framework, much of the code Matthes uses to craft his website is hyper-specific, and bears little resemblance to the incremental and digestible code used throughout the rest of the book. Though I may have learned the fundamental concepts of Python web development, if you asked me to code the back end of a website with no outside help, I would probably start crying.
In all seriousness though, this book is a great introduction to Python, and has left me feeling inspired to build my skillset even further!
May 3, 2021
Really enjoyed this book. I thought it gave great explanations for many of the basic concepts in python. Crucially, the book explained how relatively basic and boring concepts like lists and dictionaries would be employed later on in the book in things like games and data visualisations. Being able to make the connection between the basics and how they would be used in a 'real' program really made the subject matter engaging. Nice exercises at the end of each chapter and well explained code examples. Full disclosure, my reading of the book lagged behind my work on the 'try it yourself' coding examples but I certainly intend to complete them! Really engaging intro to python, would recommend
November 22, 2016
Probably the best introduction to the Python programming language right now.
What was interesting to me was that data structures like lists and tuples were shown before logic operators and statements. I thought this was very nice because lists take some getting used to by beginners.
The "Classes" section was also very concise and easy to follow, which is not always the case.
The "Projects" part of the book was fun to go trough and could be used as a reference for future projects.
What was interesting to me was that data structures like lists and tuples were shown before logic operators and statements. I thought this was very nice because lists take some getting used to by beginners.
The "Classes" section was also very concise and easy to follow, which is not always the case.
The "Projects" part of the book was fun to go trough and could be used as a reference for future projects.
February 25, 2022
A pretty perfect intro to Python or programming in general. The projects were interesting enough and when I got bored of them, I felt knowledgeable enough to start on my own little scripts like a script to interact with the YouTube API based off of the basics I learned in the first section of the book alone.
Yes, not every single line or function from a library is explained in-depth, but that's not the point of the book. It's an overview more or less. Reading documentation is where you'll find those explanations, and the book actively encourages doing that over and over again. It's also what you'll be doing once you "head out on your own."
I'd recommend "Python Crash Course" to anyone looking to get started in programming.
Yes, not every single line or function from a library is explained in-depth, but that's not the point of the book. It's an overview more or less. Reading documentation is where you'll find those explanations, and the book actively encourages doing that over and over again. It's also what you'll be doing once you "head out on your own."
I'd recommend "Python Crash Course" to anyone looking to get started in programming.
August 20, 2020
The best tutorial after finishing "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners By Al Sweigart ". Nice & Necessary 100%. Now I can create a simple game using Pygame, Make a nice & attractive data Visualization using Pygal, Matplotlib...etc; and building Web Applications with Django. It was a great journey.
أفضل برنامج تعليمي بعد الانتهاء من "أتمتة الأشياء المملة باستخدام بايثون: البرمجة العملية للمبتدئين بواسطة آل سواغر". أنيقٌ وضروري 100٪. الآن يمكنني إنشاء لعبة بسيطة باستخدام Pygame، تمثيل البيانات بأسلوب جميل وجذاب باستخدام Pygal و Matplotlib ،..إلخ. وبناء تطبيقات الويب مع Django. لقد كانت حقاً رحلة رائعة.
أفضل برنامج تعليمي بعد الانتهاء من "أتمتة الأشياء المملة باستخدام بايثون: البرمجة العملية للمبتدئين بواسطة آل سواغر". أنيقٌ وضروري 100٪. الآن يمكنني إنشاء لعبة بسيطة باستخدام Pygame، تمثيل البيانات بأسلوب جميل وجذاب باستخدام Pygal و Matplotlib ،..إلخ. وبناء تطبيقات الويب مع Django. لقد كانت حقاً رحلة رائعة.
August 21, 2020
The book is awesome for learning the basics of python , you will be enjoyed by learning it, at the end there are some applications you have to try to do it but there are some errors in coding so when you try to do as the writer some will not work. so my advice is to do the applications by watching videos on youtube.
September 30, 2020
Phineas
February 22, 2020
Am început să citesc această carte imediat după ce am renunțat de citit ”Learning Python� de Mark Lutz. În comparație cu cea din urmă, care este chinuitor de detaliată, această introducere în python mi s-a mult prea simplificată. Cu toate că la început acest aspect mi s-a părut un dezavantaj, căci nu îți oferă un fundament solid și informativ precum Mark Lutz, am ajuns să înțeleg că este de fapt o strategie destul de reușită.
Eric Matthes explică numai minimul bagaj teoretic necesar pentru a te lansa în proiecte. Iar cele 3 proiecte prezentate, Alien Invasion, Data Visualization și website-ul Learning Logs, pot fi destul de captivante. Trebuie să recunosc că am învățat cu mai mult interes python în această manieră. Iar la sfârșit am avut și satisfacția deținerii unor proiecte interesante, precum jocul Alien Invasion, de care sunt foarte mândră.
Un alt avantaj față de cartea precedentă este că această ediție e la zi cu ultima versiune python. Acest lucru a ușurat cu mult procesul de a programa, pentru că nu m-am întâlnit cu situația de a invoca o metodă care în noua versiune python este deprecată, așa cum s-a întâmplat, deși trebuie să recunosc că nu foarte des, în ”Learning Python�.
Am ajuns să înțeleg că python este un limbaj de programare destul de popular, căci poți găsi extrem de multe librării care te ajută să implementezi lucruri destul de complexe, precum un joc sau data vizualization, într-un mod destul de simplu și cu foarte puține linii de cod. De asemenea, am descoperit că deși are și suport pentru OOP, cu toate acestea, se simte în continuare aroma de limbaj de script.
Am ales să ofer un rating de 5 stele, căci, cu toate că prima jumătate mi s-a părut simplistă, consider că și-a atins scopul de a te introduce în acest limbaj de programare într-o manieră interesantă și care te lasă să îți dorești să programezi mai mult. E un model demn de urmat pentru toate cărțile care își propun să imerseze cititorul într-un nou domeniu.
Eric Matthes explică numai minimul bagaj teoretic necesar pentru a te lansa în proiecte. Iar cele 3 proiecte prezentate, Alien Invasion, Data Visualization și website-ul Learning Logs, pot fi destul de captivante. Trebuie să recunosc că am învățat cu mai mult interes python în această manieră. Iar la sfârșit am avut și satisfacția deținerii unor proiecte interesante, precum jocul Alien Invasion, de care sunt foarte mândră.
Un alt avantaj față de cartea precedentă este că această ediție e la zi cu ultima versiune python. Acest lucru a ușurat cu mult procesul de a programa, pentru că nu m-am întâlnit cu situația de a invoca o metodă care în noua versiune python este deprecată, așa cum s-a întâmplat, deși trebuie să recunosc că nu foarte des, în ”Learning Python�.
Am ajuns să înțeleg că python este un limbaj de programare destul de popular, căci poți găsi extrem de multe librării care te ajută să implementezi lucruri destul de complexe, precum un joc sau data vizualization, într-un mod destul de simplu și cu foarte puține linii de cod. De asemenea, am descoperit că deși are și suport pentru OOP, cu toate acestea, se simte în continuare aroma de limbaj de script.
Am ales să ofer un rating de 5 stele, căci, cu toate că prima jumătate mi s-a părut simplistă, consider că și-a atins scopul de a te introduce în acest limbaj de programare într-o manieră interesantă și care te lasă să îți dorești să programezi mai mult. E un model demn de urmat pentru toate cărțile care își propun să imerseze cititorul într-un nou domeniu.
February 11, 2019
One of my goals for this year is learning something new. So I started with books about Python. I chose Python from my research on what programming language would fit me best. This was one of the two.
It is extremely comprehensive to a completely programming-illiterate person. I tried typing in everything that is given as an example, so to get a hang of typing code in general. To me writing down everything is the best way to learn, so this book was really helpful.
The projects at the end of the book were a bit difficult to follow and execute. I got a lot of errors that I had to look for help online. Maybe because my PC is working on Windows, or maybe I am working on newer versions of some of the modules. Still a great intro for a first-time Python user.
It is extremely comprehensive to a completely programming-illiterate person. I tried typing in everything that is given as an example, so to get a hang of typing code in general. To me writing down everything is the best way to learn, so this book was really helpful.
The projects at the end of the book were a bit difficult to follow and execute. I got a lot of errors that I had to look for help online. Maybe because my PC is working on Windows, or maybe I am working on newer versions of some of the modules. Still a great intro for a first-time Python user.
May 22, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book, everything is explained in an easy, simple way. I appreciated the try-it-yourself challenges, it ensures you understand each point represented in the book. However, I wish that the author focused in only one python framework instead of giving a brief introduction for a three, so I finish the book with a confident skill in python, that might be good in some cases for some people. after all, I recommend this book for everyone who is looking for a kick-start in python language.
August 17, 2019
I finished the first part of it in only 2 days, without the part of projects.
The publishing of the 2nd Edition is timely since Python 2 will be dead soon lol.
A very nice Python Programming book for those don't have experience in programming! As for experienced coder, IMO this seems a little bit easy for them.
The publishing of the 2nd Edition is timely since Python 2 will be dead soon lol.
A very nice Python Programming book for those don't have experience in programming! As for experienced coder, IMO this seems a little bit easy for them.
April 3, 2020
After two false starts using other material to learn Python, it was this book that got me actually writing useful scripts and enjoying the process. Can't do better than "it just works". Clear examples, good exercises, straightforward writing.
January 1, 2017
Nejpřístupnější materiál na naučení programovacích základů v Pythonu.
June 27, 2018
Great resource for beginners to become accustomed to Python programming language. Acts as an excellent springboard to delve onwards into more complicated topics.
June 9, 2021
The best first book for learning python.
March 14, 2023
Grab Your Lifejackets
In this book, Matthes provides an excellent introduction to Python programming through a series of well-crafted projects. The book is well-organized and the examples are easy to follow, especially for beginners.
One of the things that makes this book stand out is the emphasis on project-based learning. By working on projects such as creating games and visualizing data, readers are able to apply their newly learned skills in a practical way.
The author's explanations are clear and concise, and he provides plenty of helpful tips and tricks along the way. I found myself learning a lot of new things about Python, even though I already have a ton of experience with the language.
Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn or improve their skills in Python programming. The book is engaging, informative, and a great resource for both beginners and experienced programmers alike.
I am training to be a youth Python instructor, so this was a great springboard!
I am confident that this book will be an excellent springboard for anyone looking to pursue a career in programming or simply wanting to learn a new skill.
4.7/5
In this book, Matthes provides an excellent introduction to Python programming through a series of well-crafted projects. The book is well-organized and the examples are easy to follow, especially for beginners.
One of the things that makes this book stand out is the emphasis on project-based learning. By working on projects such as creating games and visualizing data, readers are able to apply their newly learned skills in a practical way.
The author's explanations are clear and concise, and he provides plenty of helpful tips and tricks along the way. I found myself learning a lot of new things about Python, even though I already have a ton of experience with the language.
Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn or improve their skills in Python programming. The book is engaging, informative, and a great resource for both beginners and experienced programmers alike.
I am training to be a youth Python instructor, so this was a great springboard!
I am confident that this book will be an excellent springboard for anyone looking to pursue a career in programming or simply wanting to learn a new skill.
4.7/5
August 20, 2022
This is an all-round excellent introduction to programming in Python. Beginning with the usual stuff (teaching you the syntax and much of the standard library), this book then moves onto three projects: the first using Pygame to make a Space Invaders-style game, the second concerning data visualisation and the third introducing the reader to Django. None of these projects go super-deep, but they are complex enough to get the reader thinking in a project-focused way.
And, to be honest, it is these projects that separate this book from the others on the market. There are exercises in the earlier chapters to consolidate knowledge, but all of that is very academic until the code is being used in real world scenarios. These projects aren't quite fully-developed real-world applications, but they do a good job of bridging the gap between theory and real-world practice.
And, to be honest, it is these projects that separate this book from the others on the market. There are exercises in the earlier chapters to consolidate knowledge, but all of that is very academic until the code is being used in real world scenarios. These projects aren't quite fully-developed real-world applications, but they do a good job of bridging the gap between theory and real-world practice.
January 17, 2021
"Python Crash Course" is a book introducing Python concepts. Python is a programming language, but I assume you know that already. Eric Matthes is the author, and he divided the book into two parts. The first part introduces basic programming precepts. The second half has projects for you to make meaningful programs.
The first half builds into the second, granting you the skills necessary to make a game, for example.
The first half builds into the second, granting you the skills necessary to make a game, for example.
February 9, 2022
Would highly recommend to anyone who is trying to learn the basics of Python. I had nearly no knowledge and found this book extremely approachable.
I would say the projects at the end felt the least valuable as an actual learning tool as the book holds your hand almost completely through them, but were still extremely useful for showing what is possible with even basic knowledge.
I would say the projects at the end felt the least valuable as an actual learning tool as the book holds your hand almost completely through them, but were still extremely useful for showing what is possible with even basic knowledge.
August 2, 2022
This book is a great introduction to python for beginners. It’s split into two parts, the first half is teaching the basics and the second half is to have a go at building some real projects like a game or a website. Whilst parts were outdated that’s to be expected in the tech world, I thought it gave me a really good understanding anyway.
January 2, 2024
An amazing way to learn basic python with explanations that are easy to understand and good examples for the reader to apply their knowledge. I haven't read the book from beginning to end as some of the sections are dedicated to projects that you can choose to complete, but I will definitely be referring back to some of the other chapters whenever I need to brush up on my python knowledge.
November 27, 2024
This book covers the basics of Python, but unfortunately doesn’t go deep enough in certain subjects. It is probably the perfect book for a beginner to programming. It does teach good habits/style and has interesting projects in the second part. It is very impressive that I didn’t find a single typo in the whole book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.