97 books like Cleaning Data for Effective Data Science

By David Mertz,

Here are 97 books that Cleaning Data for Effective Data Science fans have personally recommended if you like Cleaning Data for Effective Data Science. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Book cover of Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming

Naomi R. Ceder Author Of The Quick Python Book

From my list on to level up your Python skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been teaching and writing Python code (and managing others while they write Python code) for over 20 years. After all that time Python is still my tool of choice, and many times Python is the key part of how I explore and think about problems. My experience as a teacher also has prompted me to dig in and look for the simplest way of understanding and explaining the elegant way that Python features fit together. 

Naomi's book list on to level up your Python skills

Naomi R. Ceder Why did Naomi love this book?

Luciano’s book is one of the most complete discussions of the ins and outs of Python that I’ve seen. He is fascinated by coding in general and it comes across as he explores the ways Python is similar to (and different from) other language paradigms. This is the book I take out if I’m starting to dig in and explore a feature of Python, and if you want to understand the details beneath the details, this is the book for you. 

By Luciano Ramalho,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fluent Python as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Learn how to write idiomatic, effective Python code by leveraging its best features. Python's simplicity quickly lets you become productive with it, but this often means you aren't using everything the language has to offer. By taking you through Python's key language features and libraries, this practical book shows you how to make your code shorter, faster, and more readable all at the same time--what experts consider "Pythonic."Many programmers who learn Python basics fall into the trap of reinventing the wheel because of past experience in other languages, and try to bend the language to patterns that don't really apply…


Book cover of Python Distilled

Naomi R. Ceder Author Of The Quick Python Book

From my list on to level up your Python skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been teaching and writing Python code (and managing others while they write Python code) for over 20 years. After all that time Python is still my tool of choice, and many times Python is the key part of how I explore and think about problems. My experience as a teacher also has prompted me to dig in and look for the simplest way of understanding and explaining the elegant way that Python features fit together. 

Naomi's book list on to level up your Python skills

Naomi R. Ceder Why did Naomi love this book?

Dave is the best teacher of programming and how programming languages (and Python specifically) work that I’ve ever met. He has a knack for making explanations of tough concepts seem clear, and he is very good at focusing on what’s essential to using a coding technique or structure and how to write good code. Like all of Dave’s books, the stuff in here just makes sense.

By David Beazley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Python Distilled as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Expert Insight for Modern Python (3.6+) Development from the Author of Python Essential Reference

The richness of modern Python challenges developers at all levels. How can programmers who are new to Python know where to begin without being overwhelmed? How can experienced Python developers know they're coding in a manner that is clear and effective? How does one make the jump from learning about individual features to thinking in Python at a deeper level? Dave Beazley's new Python Distilled addresses these and many other real-world issues.

Focusing on Python 3.6 and higher, this concise handbook focuses on the essential core…


Book cover of Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python: Best Practices for Writing Clean Code

Naomi R. Ceder Author Of The Quick Python Book

From my list on to level up your Python skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been teaching and writing Python code (and managing others while they write Python code) for over 20 years. After all that time Python is still my tool of choice, and many times Python is the key part of how I explore and think about problems. My experience as a teacher also has prompted me to dig in and look for the simplest way of understanding and explaining the elegant way that Python features fit together. 

Naomi's book list on to level up your Python skills

Naomi R. Ceder Why did Naomi love this book?

Al is one of the clearest writers on Python that I know. Here he distills his experience as both a working software engineer and a successful author to take coders from advanced beginner/intermediate level on to all of the “extra” knowledge one needs to write good code for practical use. When I read this book I find myself wishing I could write with such simplicity.

By Al Sweigart,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beyond the Basic Stuff with Python as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You're a student who wants to jumpstart their career with practical skills, or you're a self-taught beginner who has learned all you can from beginner programmer books and coding bootcamps. Now you're looking for the next step to becoming a real-world professional programmer so you can create your own apps and get started with your career. If that fits, then this book is for you! This book is perfect for self-taught programmers looking for the stuff intro books don't teach you and students wanting to get practical information before getting started with applying their new programming skills.


Book cover of Practices of the Python Pro

Naomi R. Ceder Author Of The Quick Python Book

From my list on to level up your Python skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been teaching and writing Python code (and managing others while they write Python code) for over 20 years. After all that time Python is still my tool of choice, and many times Python is the key part of how I explore and think about problems. My experience as a teacher also has prompted me to dig in and look for the simplest way of understanding and explaining the elegant way that Python features fit together. 

Naomi's book list on to level up your Python skills

Naomi R. Ceder Why did Naomi love this book?

Dane covers the more advanced topics a programmer needs to be successful as a professional. In particular, he has good discussions of the basics of software design – things like separation of concerns, encapsulation, testing, and performance, as well as some of the issues involved with creating and maintaining large-scale systems. This is the book that I wish I’d had early in my coding career. 

By Dane Hillard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Practices of the Python Pro as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Summary
Professional developers know the many benefits of writing application code that’s clean, well-organized, and easy to maintain. By learning and following established patterns and best practices, you can take your code and your career to a new level.
With Practices of the Python Pro, you’ll learn to design professional-level, clean, easily maintainable software at scale using the incredibly popular programming language, Python. You’ll find easy-to-grok examples that use pseudocode and Python to introduce software development best practices, along with dozens of instantly useful techniques that will help you code like a pro.

Purchase of the print book includes a…


Book cover of Python for Everyone

Daniel Zingaro Author Of Learn to Code by Solving Problems: A Python Programming Primer

From my list on for a rock solid python programming foundation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Some programmers learn through online articles, videos, and blog posts. Not me. I need a throughline—a consistent, expert distillation of the material to take me from where I am to where I want to be. I am not good at patching together information from disparate sources. I need a great book. I have a PhD in computer science education, and I want to know what helps people learn. More importantly, I want to know how we can use such discoveries to write more effective books. The books I appreciate most are those that demonstrate not only mastery of the subject matter but also mastery of teaching.

Daniel's book list on for a rock solid python programming foundation

Daniel Zingaro Why did Daniel love this book?

I used this book for several years starting in 2013 when the first edition came out. It absolutely holds up today. Learning the Python language (the syntax) is one thing. Learning how to design programs using this syntax is another. We need both but, unfortunately, many books forgo the latter for the former. Not this book! I like the Problem Solving and Worked Example sections: they help learners apply a disciplined, step-by-step strategy to programming projects. There are multiple, varied contexts here as well, which helps capture a broader base of learners. Bonus feature: the Computing & Society boxes.

By Cay S. Horstmann, Rance D. Necaise,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Python for Everyone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Python for Everyone, 3rd Edition is an introduction to programming designed to serve a wide range of student interests and abilities, focused on the essentials, and on effective learning. It is suitable for a first course in programming for computer scientists, engineers, and students in other disciplines. This text requires no prior programming experience and only a modest amount of high school algebra. Objects are used where appropriate in early chapters and students start designing and implementing their own classes in Chapter 9. New to this edition are examples and exercises that focus on various aspects of data science.


Book cover of Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and Tensorflow: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems

Valliappa Lakshmanan Author Of Machine Learning Design Patterns: Solutions to Common Challenges in Data Preparation, Model Building, and Mlops

From my list on to become a machine learning engineer.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been building real-time, production machine learning models for over 20 years. My book, and my book recommendations, are informed by that experience. I have a lot of empathy for people who are new to machine learning because I’ve taught courses on the topic. I founded the Advanced Solutions Lab at Google where we helped data scientists working for Google Cloud customers (who already knew ML) become ML engineers capable of building reliable ML models. The first two are the books I’d recommend today to newcomers and the last three to folks attending the ASL. 

Valliappa's book list on to become a machine learning engineer

Valliappa Lakshmanan Why did Valliappa love this book?

There are three types of machine learning books — books written for people who want to become machine learning engineers, books written for people who want to become machine learning researchers, and books written for business executives. Reading a book written for researchers or executives can be a frustrating experience if you are a software engineer, social scientist, or mechanical engineer who wants to learn machine learning and get an ML job in the industry.

If you are a coder who wants to become an ML engineer, you have got to learn machine learning concepts, but you want to learn them in a practical way. You need a book that leads with intuition and shows you implementations with code. It has to do this without getting sidetracked into ML theory, getting mired in statistical concepts, or being so superficial that you don’t understand why the code works.…

By Géron Aurélien,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and Tensorflow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Through a series of recent breakthroughs, deep learning has boosted the entire field of machine learning. Now, even programmers who know close to nothing about this technology can use simple, efficient tools to implement programs capable of learning from data. This practical book shows you how.

By using concrete examples, minimal theory, and two production-ready Python frameworks-Scikit-Learn and TensorFlow-author Aurelien Geron helps you gain an intuitive understanding of the concepts and tools for building intelligent systems. You'll learn a range of techniques, starting with simple linear regression and progressing to deep neural networks. With exercises in each chapter to help…


Book cover of Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow 3e: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems

Tomasz Lelek Author Of Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs: How to make good programming decisions

From my list on big data processing ecosystem.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am motivated by working on products that many people use. I've been a part of companies that deliver products impacting millions of people. To achieve it, I am working in the Big Data ecosystem and striving to simplify it by contributing to Dremio's Data LakeHouse solution. I worked on projects using Spark, HDFS, Cassandra, and Kafka technologies. I have been working in the software engineering industry for ten years now, and I've tried to share my experience and lessons learned in the Software Mistakes and Tradeoffs book, hoping that it will allow current and the next generation of engineers to create better software, leading to more happy users.

Tomasz's book list on big data processing ecosystem

Tomasz Lelek Why did Tomasz love this book?

The Hands-on Machine Learning book presents an end-to-end approach to many problems that can be solved with machine learning.

Every concept and topic is backed up with a running code that you can experiment with and adapt to your real-world problems.

Thanks to this book, you will be able to understand the state of the art of today's machine learning and feel comfortable using the most up-to-date ML methods.

By Géron Aurélien,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow 3e as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Through a recent series of breakthroughs, deep learning has boosted the entire field of machine learning. Now, even programmers who know close to nothing about this technology can use simple, efficient tools to implement programs capable of learning from data. This best-selling book uses concrete examples, minimal theory, and production-ready Python frameworks--scikit-learn, Keras, and TensorFlow--to help you gain an intuitive understanding of the concepts and tools for building intelligent systems.

With this updated third edition, author Aurelien Geron explores a range of techniques, starting with simple linear regression and progressing to deep neural networks. Numerous code examples and exercises throughout…


Book cover of Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and Pytorch: AI Applications Without a PhD

Jakub Langr Author Of GANs in Action: Deep Learning with Generative Adversarial Networks

From my list on applied deep learning.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been working in machine learning for about a decade. I’ve always been more interested in applied than theoretical problems and while blogs and MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are a great way to learn, for certain deep topics only a book would do. I also teach at University of Oxford, University of Birmingham, and various FTSE100 companies. My machine learning has exposed me to many fascinating problems—from leading my own ML-focused startup through Y Combinator—to working at various companies as a consultant. I think there is currently no great curriculum for the practitioners really wanting to apply deep learning in practical cases, so I have given it my best shot.

Jakub's book list on applied deep learning

Jakub Langr Why did Jakub love this book?

Jeremy Howard is the lead author and has always been a world-class educator. This book is based on his fast.ai course, which has managed to splice all rigor, simplicity, and cutting edge techniques into one course. It also uses its custom fast.ai framework built on PyTorch, which is the dominant language for researchers. This book is very practically oriented and gets you off the ground very quickly with your own projects!

By Jeremy Howard, Sylvain Gugger,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and Pytorch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Deep learning is often viewed as the exclusive domain of math PhDs and big tech companies. But as this hands-on guide demonstrates, programmers comfortable with Python can achieve impressive results in deep learning with little math background, small amounts of data, and minimal code. How? With fastai, the first library to provide a consistent interface to the most frequently used deep learning applications.

Authors Jeremy Howard and Sylvain Gugger, the creators of fastai, show you how to train a model on a wide range of tasks using fastai and PyTorch. You'll also dive progressively further into deep learning theory to…


Book cover of Deep Learning with Python

Jakub Langr Author Of GANs in Action: Deep Learning with Generative Adversarial Networks

From my list on applied deep learning.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been working in machine learning for about a decade. I’ve always been more interested in applied than theoretical problems and while blogs and MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are a great way to learn, for certain deep topics only a book would do. I also teach at University of Oxford, University of Birmingham, and various FTSE100 companies. My machine learning has exposed me to many fascinating problems—from leading my own ML-focused startup through Y Combinator—to working at various companies as a consultant. I think there is currently no great curriculum for the practitioners really wanting to apply deep learning in practical cases, so I have given it my best shot.

Jakub's book list on applied deep learning

Jakub Langr Why did Jakub love this book?

This is a fantastic book to get you started. It is written by the author of a leading deep learning framework Keras, which makes even Tensorflow very easy to use. Chollet is a true leader of the deep learning craft and the Manning team always does an excellent job of forcing authors to make the subject matter accessible. Highly recommended!

By Francois Chollet,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Deep Learning with Python as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The first edition of Deep Learning with Python is one of the best books on the subject. The second edition made it even better." - Todd Cook

The bestseller revised! Deep Learning with Python, Second Edition is a comprehensive introduction to the field of deep learning using Python and the powerful Keras library. Written by Google AI researcher Francois Chollet, the creator of Keras, this revised edition has been updated with new chapters, new tools, and cutting-edge techniques drawn from the latest research. You'll build your understanding through practical examples and intuitive explanations that make the complexities of deep learning…


Book cover of Foundations of Deep Reinforcement Learning: Theory and Practice in Python

Simon J.D. Prince Author Of Understanding Deep Learning

From my list on machine learning and deep neural networks.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started my career in neuroscience. I wanted to understand brains. That is still proving difficult, and somewhere along the way, I realized my real motivation was to build things, and I wound up working in AI. I love the elegance of mathematical models of the world. Even the simplest machine learning model has complex implications, and exploring them is a joy.

Simon's book list on machine learning and deep neural networks

Simon J.D. Prince Why did Simon love this book?

Of course, this is not the obvious book to recommend for reinforcement learning, but if you are a beginner, then it’s a quick and easy place to start. It’s compact and gets straight into the main algorithms.

It has a good balance between theory and code and will get you up and running quickly.

By Laura Graesser, Wah Loon Keng,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Foundations of Deep Reinforcement Learning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Contemporary Introduction to Deep Reinforcement Learning that Combines Theory and Practice

Deep reinforcement learning (deep RL) combines deep learning and reinforcement learning, in which artificial agents learn to solve sequential decision-making problems. In the past decade deep RL has achieved remarkable results on a range of problems, from single and multiplayer games-such as Go, Atari games, and DotA 2-to robotics.

Foundations of Deep Reinforcement Learning is an introduction to deep RL that uniquely combines both theory and implementation. It starts with intuition, then carefully explains the theory of deep RL algorithms, discusses implementations in its companion software library SLM…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in python, data science, and machine learning?

Python 30 books
Data Science 24 books
Machine Learning 53 books