Dreaming in Code is one of my favorite programming books, it documents the development history behind the very ambitious project Chandler. Highly recommended.
I'm just about finished with this and wow, all I can say is that I've LIVED that experience. Great intentions, plenty of work, and somehow, we just couldn't get it out the door. Chandler did finally make it: http://www.chandlerproject.org/ though... but that story is such a good read.
Is it fair to say this is a good case study in the limits of Python and dynamic typing for large scale projects?
I'm not sure static typing or a compiled language would have helped much. The scope of the undertaking was certainly enormous, but it was so ahead of its time in many aspects. It tried to combine an email client, calendar, scheduler, note-taking and more; any one of them would have been a serious task. Furthermore, they had to develop additional protocols and formats for reliable communications, and you may recognize them: CalDAV & CardDAV. The main software project could not withstand the changing requirements and complexity.
I have read the book, and I don't think it's a case study of Python - it's a case study on releasing an MVP. Chandler tried to do every.single.thing right out of the gate, and got bogged down. What would have happened if it just focused on email?