Learning Python by Mark Lutz, 4th Edition is a fantastic book and will help you get familiar with the language. His other book, "Programming Python" is more application specific.
I also recommend starting C++ first though, as it will teach you about memory management (VERY important for optimisation) - something that Python keeps hidden from you.
I need to create an executable in phyton,does anyone know any good Python compiler?
Can anyone recommend any good books or websites for "Python for Financial Modeling"? Amazon has one book on this topic, but the reviews were not very good.