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Starting Out with Python, Global Edition, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (October 22, 2024) © 2025

  • Tony Gaddis Haywood Community College

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For courses in Python programming.

A clear and student-friendly introduction to Python

Starting Out with Python® introduces programming concepts and problem-solving skills using Tony Gaddis' accessible approach. Control structures are discussed before classes to familiarize new programmers with the fundamentals. Every chapter includes easy-to-read code listings, practical examples and application exercises to help students gain confidence in their skills and learn to recognize the logic of developing high-quality programs.

The 6th Edition is thoroughly updated with new language features and functionality for versions of Python up through Python 3.9.

Hallmark features of this title

Student-friendly presentation

  • Written for novice programmers, Gaddis uses easy-to-understand language to introduce concepts. Control structures are explained, then classes and GUI applications.
  • Optional turtle graphics sections are extremely effective at teaching the procedural steps of programming to beginners.

Student-focused features

  • Hundreds of example programs explore specific topics or more involved problem solving. Students can run the programs themselves using the source code.
  • In the Spotlight case studies analyze how to solve a programming problem in step-by-step detail.
  • Checkpoints and review questions let students test their understanding at regular intervals.
  • Programming exercises offer hands-on practice opportunities at the end of each chapter.

New and updated features of this title

Coverage is updated for versions of Python up through Python 3.9

  • NEW: The with Statement is introduced as a way to open files (Ch. 6). Many examples throughout the text show how to use the with statement in practice.
  • NEW: Decision structures and Boolean logic coverage include a new introduction to conditional expressions, a new section on single-line if statements, and a new section on the walrus operator and assignment expressions (Ch. 3)
  • NEW: Repetitions structures content includes new sections on using the while loop as a count-controlled loop, single-line while loops, and using break, continue, and Python's unique else clause with loops (Ch. 4).
  • NEW: Functions content includes new discussions of keyword-only parameters and positional-only parameters, and a new section on default function arguments (Ch.5).
  • NEW: Lists and tuples coverage includes a discussion of using count and sum with lists as well as a new section on storing mutable objects in a tuple (Ch. 7).
  • NEW: Dictionary merge and update operators are discussed in a new section (Ch. 9).

Features of Revel for the 6th Edition

  • VideoNotes, developed by the author, enhance various programming concepts discussed in each chapter. One programming project at the end of each chapter also has an accompanying VideoNote that shows how to create the solution.
  • Live Code Examples let students practice what they've learned in a live coding environment, enabling them to immediately see the results.
  • Code Animations step students through the code line-by-line, showing what is happening in the program.
  • Checkpoint self-assessments test students' new-found knowledge with multiple-choice and matching questions at the end of each section.
  • Assignable and automatically graded programing exercises, including end-of-section quizzes and end-of-chapter programming projects, enable students to experience the power of practice as they work through their coding assignments and receive immediate personalized feedback. You can gauge student comprehension frequently, provide timely feedback and address learning gaps along the way.
  1. Introduction to Computers and Programming
  2. Input, Processing, and Output
  3. Decision Structures and Boolean Logic
  4. Repetition Structures
  5. Functions
  6. Files and Exceptions
  7. Lists and Tuples
  8. More About Strings
  9. Dictionaries and Sets
  10. Classes and Object-Oriented Programming
  11. Inheritance
  12. Recursion
  13. GUI Programming
  14. Database Programming

APPENDICES

  1. Installing Python
  2. Introduction to IDLE
  3. The ASCII Character Set
  4. Predefined Named Colors
  5. More About the import Statement
  6. Formatting Numeric Output with the format () Function
  7. Installing Modules with the pip Utility
  8. Answers to Checkpoints

About our author

Tony Gaddis is the principal author of the Starting Out With series of textbooks. Tony has nearly two decades of experience teaching computer science courses at Haywood Community College. He is a highly acclaimed instructor who was previously selected as the North Carolina Community College "Teacher of the Year" and has received the Teaching Excellence award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. The Starting Out With series includes introductory books covering C++, Java™, Microsoft® Visual Basic®, Microsoft C#®, Python®, programming logic and design, Alice, and App Inventor, all published by Pearson. More information about all his books can be found at www.pearsonhighered.com/gaddisbooks

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