Package Deal for Learning Python

If you're very new to programming in general, Python's a great place to start.

There are many, many tutorials. I won't even try to summarize them. They're generally good. And the more you read, the more you learn.

Moving past the n00bz needs, there are some more advanced books. Here's a collection for generalists:

• http://www.packtpub.com/python-3-object-oriented-programming/book
• http://www.packtpub.com/learning-python-design-patterns/book
• http://www.packtpub.com/mastering-object-oriented-python/book

My suggestion is to master the general features of the language overall.

Focus on specific things (Django, NLTK, SciPy, Maya, Scrapy, MatPlotLib, etc.) can follow.

I worry that early exposure to some of the details of Python-based packages may obscure the fundamentals of using the language properly. Perhaps that worry is misplaced. I know that the NLTK Book has numerous good examples of Python which are independent of the NLTK focus.