Buy new:
-28% $21.48$21.48
FREE delivery Sunday, December 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Starbook Store
Save with Used - Good
$6.50$6.50
FREE delivery December 10 - 12
Ships from: ThriftBooks-Atlanta Sold by: ThriftBooks-Atlanta
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python: Best Practices for Development 1st Edition
Purchase options and add-ons
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python takes the journeyman Pythonista to true expertise. More than any other language, Python was created with the philosophy of simplicity and parsimony. Now 25 years old, Python has become the primary or secondary language (after SQL) for many business users. With popularity comes diversityâ??and possibly dilution.
This guide, collaboratively written by over a hundred members of the Python community, describes best practices currently used by package and application developers. Unlike other books for this audience, The Hitchhikerâ??s Guide is light on reusable code and heavier on design philosophy, directing the reader to excellent sources that already exist.
- ISBN-101491933178
- ISBN-13978-1491933176
- Edition1st
- Publication dateOctober 18, 2016
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions6.9 x 0.77 x 9.1 inches
- Print length336 pages
Frequently bought together

What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Most purchased | Highest rated
in this set of products
Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to ProgrammingPaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7Lowest Price
in this set of products
Python Programming Language: a QuickStudy Laminated Reference GuideRobin NixonPamphletFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7
Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective ProgrammingPaperbackFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 3rd EditionPaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7
Data Structures and Problem Solving Using JavaPaperbackFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures Using Python 2nd EditionPaperbackFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Dec 7
Customers also bought or read
- Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures Using Python 2nd Edition
Paperback$45.00$45.00FREE delivery Sunday - Probability and Computing: Randomization and Probabilistic Techniques in Algorithms and Data Analysis
Hardcover$53.58$53.58FREE delivery Sunday - Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python: Best Practices for Writing Clean Code
Paperback$27.52$27.52$3.99 delivery Thu, Jan 8 - Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with pandas, NumPy, and Jupyter
Paperback$43.99$43.99FREE delivery Sunday - Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems
Paperback$46.95$46.95FREE delivery Sunday - Practical Statistics for Data Scientists: 50+ Essential Concepts Using R and Python
Paperback$45.25$45.25FREE delivery Mon, Dec 22 - Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems#1 Best SellerMySQL Guides
Paperback$37.00$37.00FREE delivery Sunday - Effective Python: 125 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (Effective Software Development Series)
Paperback$56.74$56.74FREE delivery Thu, Dec 18 - Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition: Practical Programming for Total Beginners
Paperback$31.89$31.89$4.99 delivery Fri, Dec 12 - Architecture Patterns with Python: Enabling Test-Driven Development, Domain-Driven Design, and Event-Driven Microservices
Paperback$37.10$37.10FREE delivery Sunday - Data Structures & Algorithms in Python (Developer's Library)
Paperback$58.27$58.27FREE delivery Mon, Dec 8 - Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming#1 Best SellerSoftware Development
Paperback$27.53$27.53Delivery Sunday - The Hundred-Page Language Models Book: hands-on with PyTorch (The Hundred-Page Books)
Paperback$46.95$46.95FREE delivery Sunday - Introduction to Algorithms, fourth edition#1 Best SellerComputer Algorithms
Hardcover$85.99$85.99FREE delivery Mon, Dec 15 - Modern Python Cookbook: 130+ updated recipes for modern Python 3.12 with new techniques and tools
Paperback$25.19$25.19Delivery Sunday - Python Testing with pytest: Simple, Rapid, Effective, and Scalable
Paperback$38.48$38.48FREE delivery Sunday - Head First Python: A Learner's Guide to the Fundamentals of Python Programming, A Brain-Friendly Guide
Paperback$41.95$41.95FREE delivery Sunday - Python 3: The Comprehensive Guide to Hands-On Python Programming (Rheinwerk Computing)
Paperback$41.31$41.31FREE delivery Sunday - Python for Engineering and Scientific Computing: Practical Applications with NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and More (Rheinwerk Computing)
Paperback$41.31$41.31FREE delivery Sunday - Data Mining: Concepts and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Paperback$57.22$57.22FREE delivery Sunday - Build a Large Language Model (From Scratch)#1 Best SellerComputer Neural Networks
Paperback$44.06$44.06FREE delivery Sunday
From the brand
-
Learn Python
-
Python performace
-
Python for Data Science
-
Sharing the knowledge of experts
O'Reilly's mission is to change the world by sharing the knowledge of innovators. For over 40 years, we've inspired companies and individuals to do new things (and do them better) by providing the skills and understanding that are necessary for success.
Our customers are hungry to build the innovations that propel the world forward. And we help them do just that.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Tanya Schlusser is currently an independent consultant who uses data to drive strategic decisions, with over two decades of experience in a half dozen languages. She is an active member of the Chicago Python User’s Group, Chicago’s PyLadies, and has delivered over 1000 hours of data science training to students and industry analysts.
Product details
- Publisher : O'Reilly Media
- Publication date : October 18, 2016
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1491933178
- ISBN-13 : 978-1491933176
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.9 x 0.77 x 9.1 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #604,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #310 in Computer Programming Languages
- #416 in Python Programming
- #476 in Software Development (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Kenneth Reitz is a well-known software engineer, international keynote speaker, open source advocate, street photographer, and electronic music producer.
He is the product owner of Python at Heroku and a Board Member at the Python Software Foundation. He is well-known for his many open source software projects, specifically Requests: HTTP for Humans.
Related products with free delivery on eligible orders
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThere must be a thousand books, tutorials, and videos intended to teach the Python language. Most begin with a simple 'Hello World' program and progress through explanations of the Python language.
As you learn enough to begin to use Python in your own applications, you must choose your own development environment. Authors Reitz and Schlusser identify components and discuss choices.
Topics covered include choosing a language version, installing Python, choosing an editor or IDE, structuring your project, documentation tools, packaging and publishing the code. Coverage of the alternatives is broad and deep enough to allow comparisons. Capabilities and limitations are clearly identified.
Whether your use will be scientific computing, web scraping, machine learning, or business applications, this book will help you choose and install an appropriate development environment comprised of compatible components.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis is an outstanding book. It doesn't try to teach you Python---it assumes you're already familiar with it---but puts together a lot of information on how, when, and where to use Python, with what complementary tools, in what different contexts. Running efficiency, coding efficiency, portability, interfacing to other programs. Choices of editor and/or Integrating Development Environment. Platform-dependent issues. Debugging. Packaging and distributing. Documenting. You name it.
I learned a lot of things, especially things I didn't even know I didn't know---and found very useful to know.
There are excellent links to all the resources mentioned.
If you like to write programs that go out into the world and present themselves in a professional way BECAUSE they are professonally conceived and implemented, you'll want to have this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2020Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI bought this hoping it would be a quick desktop reference. I've found it useful for looking up all those little details and other things that you almost remember but use infrequently. In addition it's a decent catalog of best practices for making code more "pythonic".
My only complaint is that some of the information is a bit dated, and the book could use a refresh. Don't know if another edition is in the works, but if it is that would be the one to get.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis book is for more advanced users than I expected, having seen excerpts on various websites. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just be warned that anyone in the beginner category will find much of it tough sledding. It's also written by multiple people. Some are good teachers and some are not, giving the book an uneven, schizophrenic feel. Overall, it's like I printed out several day's worth of successful and unsuccessful Python searches and bound then together. I regret the purchase. I should know better than to pick up hitchhikers!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2021Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis book gives a lot of insights on what's outside the common Python tutorial books, is pretty straightforward. I recommend it both to new learners and already learners, but if you're new to python support yourself with tutorials on the language itself
- Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2018Format: KindleVerified PurchaseI've used a lot of different languages over the years. This book was sort of perfect for me. It's not about how to program, it's about Python as a language and the things that you ought to know about it.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI am coming at this from a DevOps/Release Engineering perspective. The author clearly laid out the best practices in structure and full development cycle arc.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEnjoying it so far. I am an intermediate level programmer looking to pick up Python as my next language. This book is everything I was looking for.
Top reviews from other countries
kunthika nReviewed in Germany on February 27, 20205.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseVery good and very useful book. If you are a student, this one worth it.
-
Christophe PEREReviewed in France on May 6, 20185.0 out of 5 stars Mise à niveau
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseJ'ai pu trouver dans ce livre une bonne mise à niveau dans la pratique de python. N'étant pas développeur il me manquait certaines règles d'algorithmie pythonesque dispensées par ce livre. Je le recommande vivement.
David Gloyn-coxReviewed in Canada on September 21, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Pythonesque or Python esquire
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseA good breakdown of pythonesque coding styles, and a good read.
shanesullyReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Brief words from a fellow developer
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis guide is a wonderful, tastefully pragmatic guide to getting things done with Python. It has proven invaluable in my journey with the language, both personally and professionally. It is a approachable and useful to developers at any level, and I never hesitate to recommend it to my friends and coworkers.
I'm a fan of Kenneth and his work, be it his photography, writings, or software. I have used Requests in production, and have followed his blog for many years. Forever insightful and helpful, it is great to finally have the guide on my Kindle for quick reference!
KiranReviewed in India on November 7, 20185.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Nice book















