First there were static html pages. Next came CGI to deliver dynamically generated html pages, but CGI was difficult for new users. PHP addressed this and took the world by storm and is now the post popular tool used to create dynamic web sites. But, PHP does nothing to discourage sloppy repetitive code and doesn't protect programmes from security vulnerabilities.

 "Third generation" web development frameworks include Ruby on Rails and Django. Django lets you build deep, dynamic sites in an extremely short time, by providing high-level abstractions of common Web development patterns, shortcuts for frequent programming tasks and clear conventions on how to solve problems. Django is Python based, free, and runs on all the major operating systems.

This book is written by the Django creators and is a "must read" for newcommers to Django. The book content is also freely available at http://www.djangoproject.com/.