Xah Lee, 2005-09, …, 2012-01-18
The official documentation for Python is docs.python.org. The quality of the official python documenation is very low. For detail, see: Python Documentation Problems.
General history and overview: Python (programming language).
A excellent quick reference sheet is available. Highly recommended. Python 2.7 Quick Reference By Richard Gruet. @ Source rgruet.free.fr
The official documentation for Perl is at: perldoc.perl.org
General history and overview: Perl.
A survey of Perl books and culture: Perl Books Survey 2002.