Murach’s Python Programming (2nd Edition)

To present the essential Python skills in a manageable progression and at the right pace, this book is divided into four sections.

Section 1: Get your students off to a great start

• Section 1 presents an 8-chapter course in Python programming that gets your students off to a solid start. In fact, by the end of chapter 2, they’ll have developed their first Python programs…programs that get input, process it, and display output…which is so much more motivating (and fun!) than writing a few lines of “Hello World” code that don’t have any practical application. This section is especially designed for beginners, but you can adapt the pace if your students have already taken an introductory programming course.
• By the time your students finish chapter 4, they’ll be able to develop, test, and debug Python programs that are built entirely of modules and functions. They’ll also be able to use pseudocode to plan their control structures and programs, and to use hierarchy charts to plan the functions of their programs. Then, in chapter 5, they’ll learn advanced techniques for testing and debugging their programs, including the best Python techniques.
• In chapters 6, 7, and 8, your students will learn how to use lists and tuples, how to use files for persistent data storage, and how to handle exceptions. This completes a section that by itself is an excellent first course in programming. And it will put your students far ahead of what they can accomplish with competing books.

Section 2: More essential concepts and skills

• The first 4 chapters in section 2 present other skills that every Python programmer should have. That includes how to work with numbers, strings, dates and times, and dictionaries. Then, the last chapter in this section presents algorithms and recursion.
• This book is designed so you can skip from section 1 to either section 2 or section 3. In addition, all of the chapters in section 2 are independent of one another, so you can assign them in whatever sequence you prefer, and you don’t have to assign all of them. This makes it easy for you to adapt this book to the time constraints and requirements of your course.

Section 3: Object-oriented programming

• The 3 chapters in section 3 present object-oriented programming: the OOP essentials, when and how to use inheritance, and how to design an OO program. These essential concepts are the same in all modern-day programming languages, so once your students master them…which is easier to do in Python using our approach…they’ll be able to apply them in any other language they use.
• Depending on the emphasis of your course, you can skip to this section right after you complete section 1. Then, you can return later to the chapters in section 2.

Section 4: Database and GUI programming

• The 2 chapters in section 4 are solid introductions to database programming and GUI programming. This brings all of the skills of sections 1 and 3 into the context of real-world programming. For instance, the last database program in chapter 17 is a 3-tier, shopping cart program, complete with modules, classes, and functions.

A first programing course

• This book is specifically designed for a first programming course. In fact, we recommend Python as a first programming language because of its simple syntax and full feature set. Once your students learn Python, they’ll be well prepared to learn a second language like Java, C++, or C#. They’ll also be ready to use their Python skills to go on to courses in data analysis, web development, games programming, or scientific computing.

A second language course

• If you offer a Python course apart from your introductory programming course, this book will work for that too. It’s designed so you can move more quickly through the chapters in that case, skimming over familiar material and concentrating on the Python specifics or on concepts that your students are struggling with. In fact, if your students have used a book from another publisher for their first language course, our book will help you clarify any concepts they’re confused about, as you teach Python.

We’re familiar with the competing Python books, and we’ve specifically designed this book to help your students learn faster and better than they can with any of them. Here are a few of the ways it does that:

• There are two ways to simplify material: Avoid all complications (which is what too many books do) or present the material in the right order, at the right pace. We don’t think the no-complications approach gives students a true view of what programming is all about. So we present each piece slowly and methodically in section 1, building up skills and confidence, and then pick up the pace once the foundation is in place.
• All the material is in our distinctive paired-pages format, where each topic is presented in a two-page spread: the examples and reference material are on the righthand page with additional explanation and perspective on the left. In today’s fast-paced world full of eager students who want to read less, do more, and pick up information on demand, it’s the ideal format. Students love it!
• Besides fitting students’ learning style, the paired-pages format also helps your students do their assignments and prepare for tests by making it easy for them to review what they’ve learned and to refresh their memories on how to apply their new skills.
• This book presents dozens of complete programs. In each chapter, the programs start simply to illustrate the new concepts and skills, but then show the new skills in the context of real-world programming. We have long felt that these programs are essential to effective learning, and no other publisher does this the way we do. Yes, other books present complete programs too, but when the programs are trivial, they limit what the students can be expected to learn.

• Python can be downloaded for free, and it includes an integrated development environment called IDLE. So it’s easy for students to set up their own systems for this course. To help with that, appendixes A and B provide the procedures that are needed for Windows and macOS systems.
• For chapter 17 on database programming, your students will also have to install DB Browser for SQLite. Here again, the appendixes provide the procedures for doing that.

This 2nd Edition has been thoroughly updated to cover Python 3.9. This includes new material on useful features such as f-strings, assignment expressions, dictionary operators, list comprehensions, and data classes. However, the table of contents for this book remains unchanged. As a result, you’ll find it easy to update your course to the 2nd Edition.

“This is by far the best Python tutorial I have come across. Tried Udemy, Udacity, some other video and printed tutorials, but didn’t get the feel of it. Murach's side-by-side lecture & example really works for me. And the sample codes and exercises are valuable tutorials that any newbie will want to keep as reference materials. Really effective training style.”
- Posted at an online bookseller

“Best programming book on Python. You'll learn to love Murach's books. I learned Python and now I'm learning Java. I bought Murach's Java book even though we're using another one for class.”
- Posted online by a student

“I've been a fan of Murach's approach to teaching programming concepts and practices for many years. Now they've finally published a book on Python, and they've done a wonderful job. The book explores a wide breadth of topics to get you competent in the language and the conventions used by the Python community. A valuable resource for coders of all levels.”
- Jason Salas, Developer

“YouTube is not the same, this is way better: This book is super detailed in the right ways to learn. I have bought about three different authors and this guy is the best if you’re new and want to learn! Thank you for being such a great teacher.”
- Posted at an online bookseller

“I found this to be a fantastic book for taking folk with no Python knowledge to a good firm grasp to develop their own projects, as well as folk with some knowledge who want to shore up the gaps.
     “Each chapter does a really great job succinctly explaining the concept, why you would use it, has relevant code, and great summary/exercises to reinforce the area. The code is clean, well formatted, and uses great naming conventions. The projects and examples are spot on.
     “As a moderate Python user, I definitely learned a few new tricks, and reduced some complexity in my code. I have no qualms recommending this book for folk looking to pick up Python and use it!”
- Jeremy Johnson, DreamInCode.net

“This is now my third text book for python, and it is the ONLY one that has made me feel comfortable solving and reading problems or code respectively. The paired pages approach is fantastic, and it is probably the reason that makes learning the syntax, rules, and conventions understandable for me. I really do appreciate the authors’ ability to bring the concepts to life with this approach.”
- Posted at an online bookseller

“Murach isn't a publisher I was familiar with so I was surprised when I started reading its Python book and found it to be of such high quality. The text is clear and the examples are interesting. I really like that you get to write mini-programs in almost all of the chapters and they almost always do something besides just printing out a string.”
- Mike Driscoll, Programmer, Mouse vs Python blog

“Amazing book, I knew absolutely nothing about programming, now racing ahead of classes having used this book before I started schooling.”
- Posted at an online bookseller