Review request: Lisp 2nd Edition

[Ben Briggs]

I'm interested in learning Lisp as my next language, and I was wondering if someone could give me a quick review/rating of this book: LISP (http://www1.fatbrain.com/asp/bookinfo/bookinfo.asp?theisbn=0201083728)

[excessivly friendly]
Thanks a bunch and have a pleasent day!
[/excessivly friendly]

[klamath]

I wouldn't recommend getting that one -- it was written in 1985, well before the ANSI Common LISP standard was released. I'm not sure how much stuff changed with ANSI (was CLOS in pre-ANSI LISP?), but it's still a good idea to stick with the standardized stuff.

From what I've heard, the best book on LISP is Paul Graham's "ANSI Common LISP" (http://www1.fatbrain.com/asp/bookinfo/bookinfo.asp?theisbn=0133708756&vm=). I have a copy, and it's quite good. It does go quickly though, so you'll need to be familiar with some basic programming concepts.

Another good book on LISP is Peter Norvig's "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common LISP" (http://www1.fatbrain.com/asp/bookinfo/bookinfo.asp?theisbn=1558601910&vm=). If you're interested in AI, the book takes an interesting approach: it introduces some basic LISP, and then some basic AI using the LISP -- and then more advanced LISP, with more advanced AI examples. I've enjoyed reading it so far.

[ 08 May 2001: Message edited by: klamath ]

[Ben Briggs]

Thank you klamath for your response. I found (well a friend did) the third one for real cheap. It was published in 1989 (5 years after ANSIanizing)

Thanks again,
Ben