Common Lisp - A Gentle Introduction To Symbolic Computation

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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:34 pm by ndaru

Common Lisp - A Gentle Introduction To Symbolic Computation

Author(s) : David S. Touretzky, Carnegie Mellon University
ISBN : 0805304924
Paperback: 122 pages
Publication Date : September 1989
Publisher: Benjamin-Cummings Pub Co

Terms and Conditions:

The author wrote:

This book may be distributed in hardcopy form, for non-profit educational purposes, provided that no fee is charged to the recipient beyond photocopying costs. All other rights reserved. You may not redistribute the Postscript file, e.g., you may not put a copy on another web page, or include it on a CD-ROM.

This book was suggested by Percy Tiglao

Book excerpts:

This book is about learning to program in Lisp. Although widely known as the principal language of artificial intelligence research -- one of the most advanced areas of computer science -- Lisp is an excellent language for beginners. It is increasingly the language of choice in introductory programming courses due to its friendly, interactive environment, rich data structures, and powerful software tools that even a novice can master in short order.

Intended Audience:

There are three intended type of reader:

- Students taking their first programming course from any discipline, from computer science to the humanities. No prior mathematical background beyond arithmetic is required. Many technical jargons are avoided, and there are lots of examples. Also there are plenty of exercises interspersed with the text.

- Psychologists, linguists, computer scientists, and other persons interested in Artificial Intelligence. Almost all research in this field is carried out in Lisp. Most Lisp texts are written exclusively for computer science majors, but great effort has been spent to make this book accessible to everyone. This book can serve as a doorway to the technical literature of AI, as well as a quick introduction to its central tool.

- Computer hobbyists. Today's personal computers can run full implementations of the Common Lisp standard, and provide the same high-quality tools as the Lisps in university and industrial research labs. The "Lisp Toolkit" sections of this book will introduce the reader to the advanced features of the Common Lisp programming environment that have made the language such a productive tool for rapid prototyping and AI programming.

Reviews:

Amazon.com

Quote:

"I did not know anything about Lisp and this book is teaching me the basics of the language very clearly. You could not ask for a better beginners book."

Smile

"I have worked in LISP off and on for years, and this book unfailingly gets me back on in a hurry. Not only is it the clearest tutorial on LISP I know (it's even a literate, pleasant read!), it has the only discussion of recursion I know that's clear and fun."

Smile

"I have been involved for three decades now with Lisp and I consider this to be a tremendous introduction to the Language. The author is meticulous in detail and writes with a sharp, witty style."

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