On Lisp

On Lisp: Advanced Techniques for Common Lisp by PaulGraham

Web Site

Code Samples
- http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisp.html
- http://www.paulgraham.com/lispcode.html
full text of the book is now available for free
- http://www.paulgraham.com/paulgraham/onlisptext.html
Links to articles on Lisp
- http://www.paulgraham.com/lispart.html

This is simply the best book written about any computing topic that I have ever come across. Even if you don't know lisp, you can get the general gist of this book and enjoy it.

The title encodes the premise, that when you are programming in lisp you are more designing a DomainSpecificProgramming language rather than writing a program.

-- JimFl

I read this book to get clues of what I'm probably missing by not using Lisp. It's a really good book, clear and gives a sharp picture of things. Sometimes it seems to be talking a little down to the reader, but I guess that's because it is aimed for mundane programmers.

OTOH, I got the impression that I'm not missing much by not using Lisp. The praises of Lisp sung by the book make more sense when you come from a less-functional background. Actually, I was a little surprised how cumbersome Lisp does some things. But that you can see this from the book, I take as a sign that it's a great book indeed.

-- PanuKalliokoski

Apress Books is supposed to be reprinting OnLisp in the summer of 2003.

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=apress+%22on+lisp%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=85wuj5glfd.fsf%40junk.nocrew.org&rnum=1

Looks like it's moved out to the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004.

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=add24301.0306271142.2b67e898%40posting.google.com

2004-May-7: apress.com does not yet mention it in forthcoming releases.

One of my colleagues just sold me his copy for AU$120 (combined with another book). That's about US$80. We looked it up on Amazon before and the lowest price he found was US$220. Very nice of him to let me have it that cheap, very amazing that a book has such demand and hasn't been reprinted yet! -- DamyanPepper

Well, no. Many books are temporarily rare, and there are sellers who realize that some people need a particular book now, not next month, and those are the sellers who are setting the price of this book at over $200. You're paying a premium for an immediate need (or perception thereof).

If you are willing to wait, and watch prices rise and fall, then you will, I predict, see this book available for less than $100...if you are willing to wait and watch for 6 months, minimum.

The instantaneous market demand for an item is often much higher than the long term (or even medium term) demand for the same item.

I bought this same book for its list price 2 years ago, for what that's worth, but my comments above are more general to the marketplace, not to this book in particular. (And for that matter, I didn't realize what was going on with the book market these days until I discussed it with a clued-in bookstore owner in 2005)

P.S. It is a truly excellent book, and I do not think that the price you paid is too much on an absolute scale. This is the kind of book that is worth paying extra to get now, rather than 12 months from now.

One of the most unusual things about this book is that it makes every topic that it discusses seem extremely simple, where most books on Lisp (or any other topic) either make topics seem difficult, or cheat the reader by not discussing advanced topics. I give this book 5 stars out of 5 possible.

-- DougMerritt

The online version of the book is now free. See link above.

CategoryBook CategoryOnlineBook CategoryCommonLisp CategoryLisp