Python in a Nutshell

This Nutshell guide provides a one-stop shop for Python programmers who need help remembering or deciphering the syntax of this open source language and its many powerful but scantily documented modules. The third edition of this comprehensive reference guide makes it easy for you to look up 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. It's been revised and expanded to cover both version 2.7 and version 3.5.

Python is an easy scripting language with a huge library that is enormously rich. Our Nutshell format fits Python perfectly—it's an excellent way to present the highlights of all the modules and functions, which cover well over 90% of a programmer's practical needs.

Alex Martelli spent 8 years with IBM Research, then 13 at think3 inc., followed by 4 years as a consultant (mostly for AB Strakt in Göteborg, Sweden), and lately 12 years at Google (currently as tech lead of 1:many tech support for Google Cloud Platform). He has also taught programming languages, development methods, and numerical computing at Ferrara University and other venues. He's a Fellow of the Python Software Foundation, a winner of the Frank Willison Memorial Award for contributions to the Python community, and a top-page reputation hog on Stack Overflow. Books he's authored or co-authored include two editions of the Python Cookbook, three of Python in a Nutshell, and "Beautiful Teams." Dozens of his tech talks at conferences, and interviews with him, are available on YouTube.

Alex's proudest achievement are the articles that appeared in Bridge World (January and February 2000), which were hailed as giant steps towards solving issues that had haunted contract bridge theoreticians for decades, and still get quoted in current bridge-theoretical literature, after all these years.

Anna Martelli Ravenscroft is an experienced speaker and trainer, with a background developing curricula for a wide range of topics, from church, to regional transit, to disaster preparedness; developing web applications for therapy, learning, and fitness; and writing and reviewing technical books, articles, and presentations. While not a professional programmer, She is a Python enthusiast, and an active member of the Open Source community: she's a PSF Fellow, and winner of the 2013 Frank Willison Memorial Award for contributions to the Python community. Anna co-authored the second edition of the Python Cookbook and the third edition of Python in a Nutshell. She lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Alex, two dogs, one cat, and eight chickens.

Steve Holden Is CTO of a stress-management startup in the UK. He has taught many classes on TCP/IP, network security, database and programming topics, and was the author of "Python Web Programming", the O'Reilly School of Technology's "Certificate series in Python" and O'Reilly Media's "Intermediate Python" video series.

Steve has spent time on both sides of the "academic divide", and was an early researcher into the integration of text, graphics and database while teaching system development topics at Manchester University. This research led him to form Desktop Connection Limited, the first UK reseller of Frame Technology's (now Adobe's) FrameMaker software. His customers included British Telecom, British Aerospace, British Gas, and Sun Microsystems.

Born and raised in the UK, Steve has travelled throughout Europe and the USA on teaching assignments. He recently returned to the UK after 20 years in the USA and now lives in Hastings, where when not working or writing he enjoys looking for worthwhile beers, entertaining friends and family, and reading science fiction.