6 Best Python Books for Data Science and Machine Learning in 2024
Hello guys, if you want to learn Data Science and Machine learning with Python and looking for the best Python books for Data Science and ML then you have come to the right place.
In the past, I have shared the best Python courses for Data Science and ML, and today, I m going to share the best books to learn Data Science and Machine learning with Python.
Python is a universal language that is used by both data engineers and data scientists and probably the most popular programming language, as well.
All the Data Scientists I have spoken to, and many in my friend circle just love Python, mainly because it can automate all the tedious operational work that data engineers need to do.
To make the deal even sweeter, Python also has algorithms, analytics, and data visualization libraries like Matplotlib, which is an essential data scientist.
In both roles, the need to manage, automate, and analyze data is made easier by only a few lines of code. It’s such an essential part of a Data Scientist's day-to-day job that almost all the people I have spoken to recommended the “Automate The Boring Stuff With Python” book.
In the past, I have shared some of the best books to learn Python, but they were for general programming. I haven’t shared a single book that teaches Python from the Data Scientist's point of view, which is what I’ll do in this article.
Even though a couple of books on my previous list of Python books are still good to learn Python for Data Scientist because fundamental remains same and that’s why they also made to this list as well, books like Python For Data Analysis are indeed a gem and must-read for any Data Scientist who uses Python.
Some of you might be thinking a list of six books is too small, and many great Python books have not been included in this list, but I do this purposefully. I like to share a short but practical list because sometimes too many suggestions can confuse people.
Having said that, if you know a Python book that a Data scientist should read, then feel free to share it with us in the comments. Many experienced developers and Data scientists like to learn from many sources, and those suggestions can be beneficial.
And if you are looking for a Data Science certification which teaches you in Python then Google’s Advanced Data Science Professioanl Certificate is a great resource. They learned from their mistake on previous Data Analytics certificate which was based on R and now create a new cert which is Python focused, I highly recommend this to Python developers.
Top 6 Python Books for Data Science and Machine Learning
While there are many online courses to learn Python for Machine learning and Data science, books are still the best way for in-depth learning and significantly improving your knowledge.
Without wasting any more of your time, here is my list of Python books, which I believe every Data Scientist should read. The list also highlights the critical reason why Data scientists should learn Python?
Not just libraries but the automation of tedious tasks and Data operation Python provides is immensely helpful for any Data Scientist dealing with real-world data.
1. Python For Data Analysis 3rd Edition
This is the first specialized Python book on Data Analysis and Data Science. This Python book will cover all the basics a Data Scientist or Data engineer should know, like data aggregations and time series.
At the same time, it also walks through basic python exercises that will teach you how to apply Pandas to actual problems. This is one of the things I always look at in books and online courses as we learn more about solving real problems and using our skills.
This is probably the best book for manipulating, processing, cleaning, and crunching data in Python and learning Pandas for real work. There is also a new edition of this book avaialble, the 3rd Edition which is updated to cover latest development in the field of Data Analysis. Even if you have read the second version the 3rd edition got useful updates and worth reading.
You can also combine this book with an online course like Learning Python for Data Analysis and Visualization on Udemy, which will not only give you tons of code to analyze, visualize and present data but also show you how to do it properly.
2. Automate The Boring Stuff With Python
This is the first book I have read on Python, and I have recommended it to a countless number of developers, and the best part is, none of them have said that this book is not helpful.
With all my experience learning Python for scripting and Data science, this is the best book to learn Python, and every Data Scientist should learn Python from this book.
The book not only covers python basics but also provides simple automation tips that will help in your day-to-day tasks. This is especially good for Data scientists and Business analysts who are involved in Data analysis and deal with a large amount of data.
If you want, you can combine with an online course like Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp by Jose Portilla on Udemy, which also teaches Python with real-world problems to get the best of both worlds.
3. Machine Learning with Python Cookbook
This is another Python book that is focused on Data Science, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning. It starts with a few common topics like Linear regression and KNN and then goes into more deep learning concepts like neural networks.
Also, like many other O’Reilly programming books, it has a lot of great practical examples that are well explained and help you to consolidate your learning.
If you want, you can combine with an online course like Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp by Jose Portilla on Udemy, which also teaches Python with real-world problems to get the best of both worlds.
4. Python CookBook
This is another general-purpose Python book. Data scientists can use to learn Python. This book covers essential topics like File/IO, data structures, networking, algorithms, etc. All of these topics are an excellent base for any tech-driven career, including Data Science and Machine learning.
This is a comprehensive book and not only teaches you what you can do with python but also universal programming principles like objects, classes, data structures, and algorithms that are based on any program.
If you like this book, then you can skill the Python automation book. This will cover most of the topics besides excel.
Here is the link to check out this book — Python CookBook
5. Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn and TensorFlow
If you would prefer learning about Tensorflow, then this is one of the best Python books currently available in the market.
Even though it is slightly lighter on machine learning but the second half of the book is fully dedicated to neural networks. It also covers topics like convolutional neural networks, autoencoders, drop-out, and other vital issues to deep learning with Tensorflow.
Another library, which I recommend is called Pandas. It’s an extremely powerful tool and if you are dealing with data, you will need that. I strongly suggest every Data Scientist and Machine learning programmer learn Pandas to sanitize data before applying it to their model.
If you need a course to learn that then you should check out Data Analysis with Pandas and Python course from Udemy to learn Pandas, another important Python library for Data analysis.
6. Python Data Science Handbook: Essential Tools for Working with Data (2nd Edition)
This is another great book Python developer can read to learn Data Science. Created by Data Scientist and expert Jake VanderPlas, this book will teach you everything to start your Data Science journey.
In this book you will learn:
- tools like IPython and Jupytor Notebook
- NumPy library for scientific calculation
- Pandas library for data analysis
- MatPlotLib library for presenting data visualization
- and Scikit library to implement machine learning algorithms.
After the huge success of first edition, Jake has also release the second edition which includes key updates and latest improvement on the field of Data Science. I highly recommend this book to aspiring data scientists and Python developers.
Here is the link to get the book: Python Data Science Handbook
7. Data Visualization in Python
One of the key skills for Data scientists to acquire is the Data Visualization skill and thankfully Python has so many powerful libraries like Pandas, MatPlotLib, and Seaborn which you can use for your different data visualization needs.
This book will teach you how to use Pandas for data manipulation and how to use core plotting python libraries like MatPlotLib and Seaborn, and also show you to take advantage of declarative and experimental libraries like Altair.
This is one of the rare Python books which covers 9 essential Python libraries like Pandas, MatplotLib, Seaborn, Bokeh, Altair, GGPlot, GeoPandas, and VisPy. Overall a great Python book to learn Data Visualization for both beginners and intermediate Python developers.
Here is the link to check out this book — Data Visualization in Python
That’s all about some of the best Python books for learning Data Science and Machine Learning. I know courses are more active and engaging, and I don’t suggest learning from online classes, but books also have their place. They are the most authoritative and complete source, or learning any technology and combining a good book with an excellent online course can really help you to take your skill to the next level.
If you are serious about learning Python in-depth, here are some more free and paid resources for Further Learning
- 10 Reasons to learn Python in 2024
- 5 Data Science and Machine Learning course in Python
- Top 5 Course to Learn Python for Beginners
- 10 Coursera Courses to learn Data Science and Data Visualization
- Top 5 Web Development Frameworks for Python Developers
- Top 5 Data Visualization Tools for Programmers
- Python vs. JavaScript — Which is better to start with?
- Python vs. Java — Which Programming language Beginners should learn?
- 10 Free Python Programming Books for Programmers
- 5 Best Courses to learn Tableau for Data Analysts
- 10 Free Courses to learn Python in depth
- 10 Coursera Certifications to learn Python for Beginners
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Python Data Science and Machine Learning books, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P. S. — If you prefer active learning and looking for the best Python course to learn Data Science and Machine learning then you can also check out this Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp course by Josh Portilla on Udemy. It’s absolutely the best course to learn Data Science and Machine learning with Python in 2024 and beyond.
