Who this book is for

This book is for programmers who want to learn Python quickly. It shows key features of Python, assuming a background in programming. The focus is on essential features: the approach is broad but relatively shallow. We'll provide pointers and direction for additional study and research, assuming that the reader is willing and able to follow those pointers.

In many data-intensive industries, a great deal of big data analysis is done with Python and toolsets such as Apache Hadoop. In this case, the users of Python will be statisticians, data scientists, or analysts. Their interest isn't in Python itself, but in using Python to process collections of data. This book is designed to provide language fundamentals for data scientists.

This book can be used by students who are learning Python. Since this book doesn't cover the computer science foundations of programming, an additional text would be helpful.