Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition - O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the author, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

No Python Library is Complete without It
O'Reilly Releases "Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition"

Sebastopol, CA--Known for their ruthless efficiency and almost fanatical
devotion to their language of choice, Python programmers seem to have it
all: a language that's elegant and pragmatic, simple and powerful, and is
high-level yet doesn't intrude between programmer and code when one needs
to fiddle with the bits and bytes. Furthermore, Python is relatively easy
to learn, making it a boon for novices, but powerful enough to take on the
expert's most ambitious programming challenges.  To top it off, salary
statistics show that Python programmers are paid on the average at least
ten percent more than programmers who use other languages.   (As author
and Python expert Alex Martelli points out, "The productivity of a Python
developer is about forty percent higher than others. Hence it is natural
to get ten percent out of the profit as salary.")

With all this bounty, what do Python programmers need?  Only a clear and
concise reference to the language, with the appropriate measure of
guidance in how best to use Python's great power.  The new edition of Alex
Martelli's book, "Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition" (O'Reilly, US
$39.99) fills this need.

In the tradition of O'Reilly's "In a Nutshell" series, this book offers
Python programmers a single place to look when they need help remembering
or deciphering the syntax of this open source language and its many
modules. The book makes it easy to look up all the most frequently needed
information--not just about the Python language itself, but also the most
frequently used parts of the standard library and the most important
third-party extensions.  Updated to cover the current 2.4 version of
Python and the soon-to-be-released 2.5 version, it is a reference whose
time has come.

"Python has grown and developed in many significant ways, from the 2.2
version which was covered in the first edition of 'Python in a Nutshell,"
says Martelli. "Its importance continues to grow, as it keeps getting
embedded in ever more applications and used more often for programming of
applications and websites." For example, he points out that
Washingtonpost.com is now programmed with Django, a Python web framework.
It's also now embedded for scripting in software as varied as SPSS and
games such as Civilization IV.

Revised and expanded, the new edition contains all the details on Python's
new subprocess module and breaking news about Microsoft's new IronPython
project. It also includes:

-A fast-paced tutorial on the syntax of the Python language
-An explanation of object-oriented programming in Python
-Coverage of iterators, generators, exceptions, modules, packages,
 strings, and regular expressions
-A quick reference for Python's built-in types and functions and key
 modules
-Reference material on important third-party extensions, such as Numeric
 and Tkinter
-Information about embedding and extending Python

Throughout the book, Martelli's expertise and keen understanding of the
language shine through. This is as it should be, considering the important
part Python plays in Martelli's life.  "My wife Anna, although not
officially credited except in the acknowledgements, contributed hugely to
this book," notes Martelli. "This is not surprising considering that she
was my coauthor for the second edition of the Python Cookbook, and that we
had connected online in the Python community, and that right after our
marriage (July 2004) we flew immediately to Portland so OSCON (the
O'Reilly Open Source Convention) was the start of our honeymoon! Most book
authors are thankful for forbearance from their families. I'm such a lucky
fellow that my wife is at least as keen as I am about the subject of my (I
should say 'our') books."

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including table of contents, index,
author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythonian2/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythonian2/cover.html

Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition
Alex Martelli
ISBN: 0-596-10049-9, 695 pages, $39.99 US, $51.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
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