Lisp in Small Pieces

by Christian Queinnec (Author), Kathleen Callaway (Translator)

14 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0521562478

ISBN-10: 0521562473

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This is a comprehensive account of the semantics and the implementation of the whole Lisp family of languages, namely Lisp, Scheme and related dialects. It describes 11 interpreters and 2 compilers, including very recent techniques of interpretation and compilation. The book is in two parts. The first starts from a simple evaluation function and enriches it with multiple name spaces, continuations and side-effects with commented variants, while at the same time the language used to define these features is reduced to a simple lambda-calculus. Denotational semantics is then naturally introduced. The second part focuses more on implementation techniques and discusses precompilation for fast interpretation: threaded code or bytecode; compilation towards C. Some extensions are also described such as dynamic evaluation, reflection, macros and objects. This will become the new standard reference for people wanting to know more about the Lisp family of languages: how they work, how they are implemented, what their variants are and why such variants exist. The full code is supplied (and also available over the Net). A large bibliography is given as well as a considerable number of exercises. Thus it may also be used by students to accompany second courses on Lisp or Scheme.

Lisp in Small Pieces

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Editorial Reviews

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"This is a good, solid book. The writing is subtle, but clear. It is certainly worth reading for anyone..." C.M. Holt, Computing Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

Hardcover: 534 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 28, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521562473
ISBN-13: 978-0521562478
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.3 x 9.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,239,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #152 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > Lisp
- #3714 in Books > Textbooks > Computer Science > Software Design & Engineering
- #8147 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Software Design, Testing & Engineering > Software Development

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Top Customer Reviews

The best book available on Lisp implementation

ByPeter Norvigon December 22, 1999

This is an excellent book on Lisp implementation. You'll get a lot out of it, whether you are interested in writing compilers and interpreters (for Lisp or any language) or whether you just want to see how Lisp works. It is the modern day successor to Allen's "Anatomy of Lisp".

0Comment 120 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Good book on functional languages.

ByRay Dillingeron November 28, 1999

This is the English Translation of a book originally published in French, under the title _Les_Langages_Lisp_.
In it, Quinniec covers a variety of different approaches to interpretation and compilation. Typically, an idea is presented with a chapter discussing the issues related to it -- then in the following chapter, a compiler or interpreter that implements it correctly. He covers compilation to C, compilation to bytecodes, direct interpretation, token-reduced interpretation, denotational semantics, lambda-calculus, continuations, macros, and an object system. It's well-written and engaging, and unlike some translations, the English is handled very well. The primary language being considered (and used) is Scheme -- arguably the easiest LISP dialect to implement and the hardest to implement well.

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The future history of programming

ByRonald Schröderon December 17, 2005

Format: Paperback

I'm not a professional reviewer. But I program a lot, and for a living. After more than 15 years of experience in algorithm development and user interface design, to name some extremes, I get the feeling that "traditional" computer programming languages like C (C++, C#, Objective C) and Pascal (Modula, Oberon, ADA)

and even oldtimers as Cobol and Fortran tend to develop, or rather mature, into languages getting closer and closer to Lisp, Algol, and their ultimate offspring, Scheme.

This is not without reason.

But although the many qualities of Lisp have long since been known in academia, they need time and, more important, good reference material, to find their way into the real world.

Lisp programmers know the value of everything, but the cost of nothing, it is said. Christian Queinnec neatly fills the gap in our knowledge in a book that is a hard read because of the density of the content, but also a fun book because all the source is there (available through the Internet, of course) to experiment with.

You will not only gain insight into the workings of your Lisp system. You will gain insight into the basic elements of computer programming languages and their reason for being, their implementation, and the benefits and costs they will bring you.

All in all, one of the best books on Lisp I have ever almost, but not completely grokked.

I sincerely believe that tomorrow's programming languages, whether they be called C** or Delphi 2010, will be closer to current Lisp than to current C or Pascal, and a way to efficiently implement these languages is available here and now.

The book covers all standard material like direct interpretation, compilation towards a virtual machine using bytecodes, and compilation to C. New material is found in the chapter on macro's , a subject that has regained much interest of late. A broad variety of programming styles is used to illustrate all concepts.

There is only one drawback to the book. It won't teach you Lisp, or Scheme. That is, unless you already know it.

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How to implement LISP/Scheme language features and an intro to a compiler

ByLars BergstromVINE VOICEon February 13, 2010

Format: Paperback

This book is fantastic for filling the gap between a SICP-level understanding of how to write a Scheme (or LISP) compiler and actually getting the full language together. You know all of those "almost full R5RS" Scheme-to-{Java,.NET,JS} compilers? This book would help those authors fill in the last few pieces and actually implement the whole language.

Where this book falls short is as it approaches final code generation --- after you've generated the first working intermediate representation and want to start producing code you'd actually want to compiler. I recommend Appel's first book (Compiling with Continuations) for some tips on the basic optimization phases required in a functional compiler.

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Very, very good.

ByA customeron June 15, 2001

An unexpectedly good book.
If you're interested in implementation choices for Scheme and the Lisp family of languages, this is an amazing book. Its worth reading even if you never plan to implement a Lisp interpreter and just want to learn a bit of theory and history behind these languages.

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Great book on implementing Lisp-like languages

ByW. Ghoston December 1, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is excellent. It is clear but not superficial at all.

Queinnec explains from the basics of Lisp implementation (evaluation of S-expressions) to techniques for compiling into C. You will find very good advice on how to implement macros, continuations and higher-order functions. If you want to implement Lisp, Scheme or any other language actually, buy this book!

Besides being an excellent technical text, the book is also a great pleasure to read, because of Queinnec's writing style.

Also, there are exercises -- with answers! :-)

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Lisp in small pieces

ByH. Fiereson February 7, 2008

Format: Paperback

Nikoluas Wirth once said "language design is compiler design". This book is truly remarkable in providing a look behind the (LISP ) scenery. Everyone who write LISP progams should red it to get an understanding of the implementation and hence cost of the language features. Great reading!!!

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Excellent book

ByYuri Pablobon December 6, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I don't have much experience with LISP and Scheme, but
I enjoy reading that book because the author gives a deep
insight into the inner workings and structure of compilers/
interpreters for the whole family of LISP languages and beyond.
It's a hard read (at least for me) - mostly because it contains
too much information and you need to follow the code sections
on almost every page (written in Scheme), but it deserves every
hour you'll dedicate to reading it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Expensive - gradual student level

Pretty much the only book on how to write a Lisp / Scheme VM - saves months of trolling through online boards...

Published 3 months ago by Blue Fox dude

Books don't cost, they provide

I love lisp. This book provides even more wetware for my enthusiasm for this niche language.
While this book may seem expensive, absorbing even a portion will improve you...Read more

Published 7 months ago by Cecil McGregor

It doesn't get better than this if you're interested in Lisp and/or language ...

It doesn't get better than this if you're interested in Lisp and/or language implementation. You can read this book on a few different levels and get plenty of mileage.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Nathan Slaughter

Epic. Excellent.

This book is right up there with SICP and LoL. If you are serious about understanding how Lisp works and why it works that way then this book is one of the best.

Published on May 4, 2014 by angela m smith

this is not for learning lisp!

The book is very good as it explains lisp implementations in full detail (also explaining the different behavior on available lisp flavors).Read more

Published on January 30, 2014 by Gabriel Wernersbach Farinas

I can only add a few things to the excellent reviews

See the other reviews for contents on the content. This is an outstanding book.

This book is an exact copy of the hardback, although the number of pages differs.Read more

Published on October 2, 2013 by JohnDiego

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Lisp in Small Pieces

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