Whether you are in data science, web development, or any technical field that requires code design and writing, you must have used Python. Python is one of the most popular and used programming languages at the moment. Python is so popular because of its simple syntax, how easy it’s to learn for new programmers or programmers shifting from other programming languages, and how versatile it is.

Although Python is easy to learn and use, writing good Python code is not as simple. It is a skill that requires writing a lot of code and being able to make it look pretty. Writing a code is what differentiates an amateur programmer from an experienced one.

For your code to be beautiful, it needs to be easy to read and comprehend, lucid, and well balanced. It is a code that’s architecture, structure, and overall shape can tell you its intent without digging deeper into its application. Beautiful code often is divided into solid small pieces, each with its own purpose.

Most programmers can write code and solve problems, but you will stand out within the field if you can write beautiful solid code. In today’s article, I am addressing all levels of programmers; whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced programmer, you can probably improve the quality of your code. This article will go through 5 Python books that focus on improving your code quality rather than teaching you how to code.

№1: Supercharged Python: Take Your Code to the Next Level

This book was written by John Bennett, Brian Overland, and Brian Overland and was published in 2019. Like all other books in this list, this book targets those who already know the fundamentals of programming in general and know how to write basic code in Python.

This book will teach you how to harness the full power of Python and — as the title suggests — supercharge your applications. The book covers advanced list and string techniques, how to manage and handle binary files, how to master commonly used packages such as Numpy, and how to write solid concrete classes.

The book also addresses profilers, the magic of regular expression, and teaches you how to take advantage of 22 coding shortcuts and performance-enhancing tips and tricks to optimize your code execution. In a nutshell, the Supercharged Python teaches you how to write powerful, sophisticated Python applications faster and more efficiently.

№2: Python Tricks: A Buffet of Awesome Python Features

Python Tricks by the legend Dan Badar was published in 2017. If you’re looking for a good, concise book that teaches you how to write more “Pythonic” code, look no further, this book is for you.

Python Tricks illustrates valuable yet often overlooked Python features and best practices that will help you better understand Python and hence be able to write better codes using it. This book contains 43 subsections, each more valuable than the other and each containing a straightforward explanation with simple examples of how to use the proposed concepts.

This book covers many advanced topics such as commonly used patterns for cleaner Python code, how to effectively used functions, loops, and dictionaries, the best practices of object-oriented programming and classes, and some Pythonic productivity techniques. Moreover, this book comes with 12 bonus videos explaining the different concepts proposed in the book using short 11 minutes videos that you can listen to or watch any time and anywhere.

№3: Effective Python: 90 Ways to Write Better Python

Next up is a gem of a book written by Brett Slatkin in 2015, which is Effective Python: 90 ways to write better Python. This book covers 90 different. Concise and well-explained items discussing different aspects and concepts you can jump between in any order you find comfortable.

When this book was originally published, it only contained 59 ways to write better Python code, but the second edition expanded to include 30+ more new and useful concepts. Concepts like Pythonic thinking, functions, classes and inheritance, masterclasses, and concurrency and parallelism.

The book also covers — in-depth — how to package your code properly, write efficient documentation and manage dependency and virtual environment. Moreover, maintain your package by debugging it, testing it, and handling memory management for optimal execution. So, if you are done learning Python basics and want to go deeper into the language, this book is for you.

№4: Practices of the Python Pro

Next up is a relatively new book, Practices of the Python Pro, written by Dane Hillard and published in early 2020. This book targets professional programmers who want to write clean, well-organized, and maintainable application code using Python.

This book teaches you how to design, develop and write high-quality, professional code. Code that’s easy to understand, maintain and extend. The book focuses on giving you a solid foundation of how, why, and when to modularize your code, improve its quality, and reduce its overall complicity with solid and clear examples. Learning the techniques covered in this book, your code will be easy to read and reuse by others.

Practices of the Python Pro consist of mainly 4 sections. An introductory and a conclusion section and two sections cover all you need to produce beautiful code. Sections 2 and 3 take you through the process and mindset of designing large-scale software systems and how to make them solid, maintainable, and easy to browse.

№5: Intuitive Python: Productive Development for Projects that Last

Let’s conclude our list with the newest book of the batch, Intuitive Python, written by David Muller and just got published this year. Unlike all other books on this list, Intuitive Python goes beyond writing good, beautiful code in Python. This book provides you with the tools and packages you need to maintain your code.

Reading this book, you will learn how to run static and dynamic analysis tools on your code to detect and eliminate bugs in your code before you package and release it. You will also learn how to download and run third-party Packages without compromising the safety of your code. Furthermore, you will learn the most effective way to use the Python default debugger and use its interactive console.