--- product_id: 1703946 title: "Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science" price: "€ 41.33" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1703946-python-programming-an-introduction-to-computer-science store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Python language focus Concept-driven learning Interactive quizzes & exercises Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science **Price:** € 41.33 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > 🐍 Unlock the code to your future with Python mastery made simple! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science - **How much does it cost?** € 41.33 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1703946-python-programming-an-introduction-to-computer-science) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Learn by Doing:** End-of-chapter quizzes and programming exercises that challenge and deepen your understanding. - β€’ **Concept-First Approach:** Focuses on what programming concepts *really* mean, not just syntax memorization. - β€’ **Algebra-Friendly Content:** Ideal for those with basic algebra knowledge, making complex ideas accessible. - β€’ **Perfect for Puzzle Lovers:** Engages problem-solving skills with challenging, real-world programming tasks. - β€’ **Master Python from Scratch:** Step-by-step explanations designed for absolute beginners, no prior coding needed. ## Overview This used book offers a beginner-friendly introduction to programming using Python, emphasizing clear explanations of core concepts and interactive exercises. It’s perfect for newcomers eager to learn coding fundamentals through a concept-based approach, supported by quizzes and hands-on challenges that build real skills. ## Description "Introduces computer programming using the Python programming language"--Provided by publisher. Review: I've failed so many times at trying to learn computer programming before. - I'm really only a few chapters in so far, but I felt the need to express my unanswered frustrations and how this book answered them. I've always wanted to learn computer programming since I was a kid, back in the days when computers were the scary things they had in school libraries that adults were scared of getting too close to. I even bought a book on C when I was young enough to only require one digit in my age, and I didn't even own a computer and probably had only used one a few dozen times. I have throughout my life bought, attempted to learn, and failed miserably at learning programming many times. Each time I get terribly stuck and confused. I curse the writers of these books who advertise "programming for the absolute beginner" who I seem so disconnected to. I figured it was me, that maybe I wasn't smart enough, or that for some reason I just could never learn how to do cool stuff with a computer. In my most recent spate I bought another book on computer programming - also on Python. While I did learn to do some stuff, there was still this weird disconnect. But this book is different and now I finally realize what I had been struggling with: the author *actually explains* what each programming concept does. This sounds silly - of course all programming books do that! But you'd be wrong. Apparently understanding what something like "for i in range(10):" does and what each part is for and called is in the realm of 'computer science.' It sounds stupid, but it took me a while in my first couple of attempts at learning programming in the early days, to realize (because no one actually said it), that a computer program is executed from top to bottom, left to right. A program is more like a player piano. So in the first couple of chapters I was delighted that the author actually says that. So I guess the difference between this book and all the others I've read is that even if the other books say it's for someone who has never programmed before, they make a lot of assumptions about what you know and what you should have figured out from the context. But this book actually explains each concept as it comes up. In fact, this book is more explanation than code. Which is good because when you're starting out you're full of funny concepts about how programming might work. You don't necessarily understand that when you write "x = 2 + y" and then later change the value of y, that won't actually change the value of x. And the reason you don't know that is because the author didn't bother explaining to you exactly how variables work in Python. So for learning Python, this is a great resource and exactly what I needed after two decades of on-and-off spates or trying to learn programming. As for learning Computer Science? I guess I don't know a lot about it, but I don't think this would be a great resource. This book doesn't look like it explains binary code to you, or how transistors work, haw NAND and OR circuits work, or any of those sorts of things. There is some of that - it briefly explains the difference between hardware and software, CPU, RAM, etc. But really it's fairly superficial coverage. So the book really should be called Python Programming: A Concept-Based Approach. If I took a class called "an introduction to programming" I would be extremely happy if they assigned this book, but if the class was called "an introduction to computer science" I'd feel as if the class was misrepresented. Also, I'd also say don't buy this book if you already have a good grounding in some other computer programming language. I think one of those many other books that I struggled with would be a much better fit for you. You won't be lost in poorly defined terminology or zip past what a thing does and focus mostly just on how Python does it. This book will spend way too much time explaining those things you've already figured out by now. If know C++ or Java or whatever, you probably already know the difference between a float and an integer and at the most just need a refresher. Anyway, I didn't see any other reviews mention these points and I really am glad I found this book. So hopefully you guys will understand better what this book is really all about, which the description does a poor job of doing, in my opinion. Review: Great For The Beginner! - If I could describe this book in one word it would be: Perfect. I am completely new to the world of computer science and programming (also a sophomore in high school), and i have to say this book has been perfect for starting out in the world of computer science. I have decide that for this review i would like to go over a few of the great features and prerequesites of this book. Lets start with some of the great features. This book has a very logical and easy to understand approach to computer science, it first talks a little bit about how programs work and the program building process, then it slowly begins to teach the reader how to program in python and about the elements of programs. I found this to be great as well because even though the first chapter does not teach very much about programming, it still lets the reader get their feet wet by getting to build some programs and experiment with them. The author also does a very great job of explaining difficult concepts. The best feature of this book that allows for true comprehension of the material being learned is at the end of every chapter the book provides multiple types of quizzes and interactive activities. This section of each chapter starts out with 10 true or false questions, then it moves on to 10 multiple choice questions, after that it goes into essay questions where it has the reader design and change programs for the sake of experimentation, and allows the reader to make predictions and see if they are correct. I found this part essential to truly understanding the elements of programming, and also very challenging at times. The last part of this section is the programming exercises. And these i also found essential to true comprehension of the material in the chapter. It makes you take programs that you designed earlier in the chapter, and challenges you to change elements within the program to make it more efficient, or more user friendly, or even just to challenge the reader. These exercises i found very difficult as well at times but also very essential to my understanding of programming. Now for any prerequisites that people may be wondering about. I would first off strongly suggest that the reader have completed algebra 1 or 2 because a lot of the programs you will make involve a lot of algebra, and although you can just copy what the book says without understanding what your actually doing, It is best that the reader understands what is trying to be accomplished in these programs. The other prerequisite is that the reader have a love for puzzles and problem solving, because this book gives you many difficult to solve problems in those end-of-chapter quizzes. Other Than that, this is an absolutely phenomenal book for programmers with zero experience and I strongly suggest that anybody truly interested in the nature of computer programming, and problem solving, please pick up this book, because you wont be disappointed. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #310,695 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #132 in Computer Programming Languages #170 in Introductory & Beginning Programming #242 in Python Programming | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 280 Reviews | ## Images ![Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71B-qt+GqeL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I've failed so many times at trying to learn computer programming before. *by R***A on May 15, 2014* I'm really only a few chapters in so far, but I felt the need to express my unanswered frustrations and how this book answered them. I've always wanted to learn computer programming since I was a kid, back in the days when computers were the scary things they had in school libraries that adults were scared of getting too close to. I even bought a book on C when I was young enough to only require one digit in my age, and I didn't even own a computer and probably had only used one a few dozen times. I have throughout my life bought, attempted to learn, and failed miserably at learning programming many times. Each time I get terribly stuck and confused. I curse the writers of these books who advertise "programming for the absolute beginner" who I seem so disconnected to. I figured it was me, that maybe I wasn't smart enough, or that for some reason I just could never learn how to do cool stuff with a computer. In my most recent spate I bought another book on computer programming - also on Python. While I did learn to do some stuff, there was still this weird disconnect. But this book is different and now I finally realize what I had been struggling with: the author *actually explains* what each programming concept does. This sounds silly - of course all programming books do that! But you'd be wrong. Apparently understanding what something like "for i in range(10):" does and what each part is for and called is in the realm of 'computer science.' It sounds stupid, but it took me a while in my first couple of attempts at learning programming in the early days, to realize (because no one actually said it), that a computer program is executed from top to bottom, left to right. A program is more like a player piano. So in the first couple of chapters I was delighted that the author actually says that. So I guess the difference between this book and all the others I've read is that even if the other books say it's for someone who has never programmed before, they make a lot of assumptions about what you know and what you should have figured out from the context. But this book actually explains each concept as it comes up. In fact, this book is more explanation than code. Which is good because when you're starting out you're full of funny concepts about how programming might work. You don't necessarily understand that when you write "x = 2 + y" and then later change the value of y, that won't actually change the value of x. And the reason you don't know that is because the author didn't bother explaining to you exactly how variables work in Python. So for learning Python, this is a great resource and exactly what I needed after two decades of on-and-off spates or trying to learn programming. As for learning Computer Science? I guess I don't know a lot about it, but I don't think this would be a great resource. This book doesn't look like it explains binary code to you, or how transistors work, haw NAND and OR circuits work, or any of those sorts of things. There is some of that - it briefly explains the difference between hardware and software, CPU, RAM, etc. But really it's fairly superficial coverage. So the book really should be called Python Programming: A Concept-Based Approach. If I took a class called "an introduction to programming" I would be extremely happy if they assigned this book, but if the class was called "an introduction to computer science" I'd feel as if the class was misrepresented. Also, I'd also say don't buy this book if you already have a good grounding in some other computer programming language. I think one of those many other books that I struggled with would be a much better fit for you. You won't be lost in poorly defined terminology or zip past what a thing does and focus mostly just on how Python does it. This book will spend way too much time explaining those things you've already figured out by now. If know C++ or Java or whatever, you probably already know the difference between a float and an integer and at the most just need a refresher. Anyway, I didn't see any other reviews mention these points and I really am glad I found this book. So hopefully you guys will understand better what this book is really all about, which the description does a poor job of doing, in my opinion. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great For The Beginner! *by J***K on January 18, 2013* If I could describe this book in one word it would be: Perfect. I am completely new to the world of computer science and programming (also a sophomore in high school), and i have to say this book has been perfect for starting out in the world of computer science. I have decide that for this review i would like to go over a few of the great features and prerequesites of this book. Lets start with some of the great features. This book has a very logical and easy to understand approach to computer science, it first talks a little bit about how programs work and the program building process, then it slowly begins to teach the reader how to program in python and about the elements of programs. I found this to be great as well because even though the first chapter does not teach very much about programming, it still lets the reader get their feet wet by getting to build some programs and experiment with them. The author also does a very great job of explaining difficult concepts. The best feature of this book that allows for true comprehension of the material being learned is at the end of every chapter the book provides multiple types of quizzes and interactive activities. This section of each chapter starts out with 10 true or false questions, then it moves on to 10 multiple choice questions, after that it goes into essay questions where it has the reader design and change programs for the sake of experimentation, and allows the reader to make predictions and see if they are correct. I found this part essential to truly understanding the elements of programming, and also very challenging at times. The last part of this section is the programming exercises. And these i also found essential to true comprehension of the material in the chapter. It makes you take programs that you designed earlier in the chapter, and challenges you to change elements within the program to make it more efficient, or more user friendly, or even just to challenge the reader. These exercises i found very difficult as well at times but also very essential to my understanding of programming. Now for any prerequisites that people may be wondering about. I would first off strongly suggest that the reader have completed algebra 1 or 2 because a lot of the programs you will make involve a lot of algebra, and although you can just copy what the book says without understanding what your actually doing, It is best that the reader understands what is trying to be accomplished in these programs. The other prerequisite is that the reader have a love for puzzles and problem solving, because this book gives you many difficult to solve problems in those end-of-chapter quizzes. Other Than that, this is an absolutely phenomenal book for programmers with zero experience and I strongly suggest that anybody truly interested in the nature of computer programming, and problem solving, please pick up this book, because you wont be disappointed. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Decent intro text, but ignore the childish fascination *by J***N on June 6, 2016* Decent enough, with a few caveats. As others have noted: this is not a manual of programming correctly; it's a concepts guide. I prefer Knuth's method of writing something correct and marking it "You are not meant to understand this," and I also understand why he called malloc() without checking for a NULL return all the time (incorrect behavior--never do this). If you're just getting into computer science or trying to expand your knowledge, you should definitely understand that working programs are not necessarily correct programs, and someone may hold grievances about seemingly-good code for any number of valid reasons related to maintainability, performance, or predictability in unpredicted circumstances (which means "Security"). Much of the time, this involves the unnecessary throwing of tantrums, exceptions, and chairs; this is unfortunate, and you should try to determine the validity of the complaint even if the person raising it is busy calling you the world's dumbest programmer instead of explaining the problem clearly. Second, the author quickly pulls the talent fallacy: he states that "not everyone has the talent to become a first-class programmer." That is false. All humans have the same reasoning facilities; some may be less-developed based on usage, and the brain will restructure itself to minimize energy consumption in the most common behaviors. Interest and motivation reduce energy consumption: people who are interested in programming are entertaining themselves by learning, doing, and improving; interest is learned, varied, and mutable by reframing. Techniques of study (e.g. SQW3R, OK4R) and skill development (e.g. Deliberate Practice) maximize learning while minimizing time and effort. Putting in the time and effort by skilled methods of learning will quickly develop anyone into a first-class programmer; the question is whether the effort is personally worth it to your interests--while it might be possible, you might instead be much happier studying graphic design and becoming a concept artist, writer, aerospace engineer, or something else. The author is also a fascinated child who thinks computers are magic. He pulls the butterfly fallacy on the 19th page, describing a situation in which meteorologists would have to know the precise location and flapping force of every butterfly, as well as every ant, every shiny object, every bit of glass, and so forth, in China to figure out if it's going to rain tomorrow in Boston. A butterfly flapping its wings has an impact at 1cm nine million times as significant as the impact at 3 meters; it's not going to influence whether there is or is not a tornado anywhere at any time. This book is good material for a Computer Science 201 course. If you have trouble, review your study and practice methods and, especially, your goals. If you're simply not interested in computer science or programming, you can develop surface knowledge with little effort, and a strong skill set by tormenting yourself with dull and boring rote study; if you're interested in the topic, then the limits you encounter will largely be study method. Thinking you just don't have what it takes and can't learn will quickly discourage you from learning and place you into the unmotivated group, and your brain will flinch away from the topic because it brings pain; failure only means you're not looking at the puzzle from the correct angle, not that you can't do it. ## Frequently Bought Together - Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science - Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming - Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1703946-python-programming-an-introduction-to-computer-science](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1703946-python-programming-an-introduction-to-computer-science) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-07-06*