Learn Python the Hard Way, a free e-book for beginning programmers by Zed Shaw has been updated to the 2nd edition. It’s available for free in HTML format. PDF or ePub editions cost $1, paperbacks cost $15.99 and a hardcover is available for $60.
The book is still focused on Python 2.X, instead of Python 3.
According to the site, in the new edition:
- Exercises 50, 51, and 52 are completely rewritten to teach you how to write a web application game.
- Exercises 41 and 42 have a new game that’s more complex and challenging.
- I also fixed a bunch of “bugs” in the text and the code of 50% of the exercises.
Although the book is written for absolute beginner programmers, Shaw notes on Hacker News that it is also suitable experienced programmers wanting to learn Python: “LPTHW is deceptively simple. Try doing it anyway, since if you know a language already you can blaze through it, and when you get to around 30 or so it sneaks up behind you.”
For more free resources for learning to program with Python, check out our list of free Python e-books.
