Getting Started with Python

Learning Python is easier when the ideas arrive in a sensible order—and when there’s a program to build along the way. Thomas Theis’s Getting Started with Python begins with the language’s essentials, then steadily develops them into practical programming skills through explanations, examples, and exercises.

Start with the building blocks

The early chapters introduce Python installation and basic commands before moving through variables, operators, conditions, loops, functions, and data types. A recurring game example gives those concepts a practical thread: readers see how a small program can grow as new techniques are introduced.

Learn by trying, not just reading

Detailed exercises and downloadable code examples give readers material to work through at their own pace. Alongside core syntax, the book addresses exceptions, debugging, modules, and other everyday parts of writing and maintaining programs.

Move from fundamentals to applications

Later sections broaden the picture with object-oriented programming, multithreading, file and directory handling, and database work with SQLite and MySQL. The book also explores graphical user interfaces, widgets, and PyQt, offering a view of how Python concepts can be applied beyond short command-line examples.

A structured first course in Python

With its progression from first steps to more involved programming topics, this book is suited to beginners looking for a guided introduction to Python. It can also serve as a reference for readers revisiting the language fundamentals while taking on practical exercises and application-building concepts.