# Comparing Two Python Programming Books for Beginners

DevFeed: [Comparing Two Python Programming Books for Beginners](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/so-you-want-to-learn-python-38879.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://neopythonic.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-you-want-to-learn-python.html>)

Author: Guido van Rossum (noreply@blogger.com)

Published: 2009-05-26T22:46:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Guido van Rossum](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/guido-van-rossum.md>)

Topics: [Python](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/python.md>), [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [Computer science](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/computer-science.md>), [Learning](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/learning.md>)

Tags: [beginners](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/beginners.md>), [book-review](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/book-review.md>), [books](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/books.md>), [compare](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compare.md>), [experiments](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/experiments.md>), [gotchas](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gotchas.md>), [projects](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/projects.md>), [python](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/python.md>), [review](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/review.md>), [teaching](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/teaching.md>), [tests](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tests.md>)

## AI overview

The article compares Hello World and Practical Programming, two books that teach Python to people without prior programming experience. It argues that the books target different audiences: Hello World is aimed at children and uses an accessible, illustrated style, while Practical Programming takes a more mature, computer-science-oriented approach.

## Source excerpt

There's never a lack of books to use for learning Python. I occasionally receive books for review, but I don't have a particularly good yardstick to judge such books by: I find that they all contain some factual errors and some oddities of presentation, but I have no idea whether those matter for the readers. Even Knuth's books are full of errors: for example the errata for Vol. 1 (2nd ed.) are a staggering 80 pages, but I doubt anybody besides Knuth himself is bothered by this knowledge. Recently I got a review copy of "Hello World", and a colleague kindly lent me his copy of "Practical Programming". I think it's interesting to compare the two a bit, since they both claim to be teaching Python programming to people who haven't programmed before. And yet their audiences are totally different! "Hello World", published by Manning, is written by Warren Sande and his son Carter. The subtitle is "Computer programming for kids and other beginners", but I think if you're not a kid any more you might get annoyed by the rather popular writing style. If you are a kid, well, you will probably enjoy a book written with you in mind, and you will learn plenty. The only prerequisites are reading and typing skills, a computer that wasn't built in the stone age, and a desire to learn more about what goes on inside that computer. The book uses short chapters with lots of illustrations, often cartoons and jokes. There are lots of opportunities to try out the material and learn that way. Each chapter ends with a review section, some tests, and more experiments to try. The book pays plenty of attention to typical "gotchas", so that if you get stuck at some point, there probably is help nearby to get you unstuck. "Practical Programming" is written by Jennifer Campbell, Paul Gries, Jason Montojo, and Greg Wilson. This a team composed of three university professors and a former student of theirs. Their purported goal is to teach Computer Science (with Capital Letters), and Python is merely