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Python in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
book

Python in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

by Alex Martelli
July 2006
Beginner to intermediate
734 pages
20h 6m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Python in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

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The animal on the cover of Python in a Nutshell, Second Edition, is an African rock python, one of approximately 18 species of python. Pythons are nonvenomous constrictor snakes that live in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and some Pacific Islands. Pythons live mainly on the ground, but they are also excellent swimmers and climbers. Both male and female pythons retain vestiges of their ancestral hind legs. The male python uses these vestiges, or spurs, when courting a female.

The python kills its prey by suffocation. While the snake’s sharp teeth grip and hold the prey in place, the python’s long body coils around its victim’s chest, constricting tighter each time it breathes out. They feed primarily on mammals and birds. Python attacks on humans are extremely rare.

The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSans Mono Condensed.

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596100469Errata Page