[bmelton]

I also didn't learn Python from a book, but figuring that my ad-hoc learning style might have left gaps in my knowledge (and being a fan of Zed Shaw's work) I ran through the "Python the Hard Way" book and found it to be a VERY solid way to go about things.

Turned out there weren't any language basics in there that I didn't already know, but I heartily recommend the book to anybody looking for a quick start into programming.