About This Book
This book is for programmers who want to understand and use Lisp in 2025. Whether you’re curious about why Lisp has endured for nearly 70 years, want to learn functional programming, or need to build robust systems with minimal complexity, this book will guide you through the diverse and powerful world of Lisp.
What You’ll Learn
- The Power of Homoiconicity: Understand why “code as data” is more than just a clever trick
- Multiple Lisp Dialects: Master Common Lisp, Scheme, Clojure, ClojureScript, and Emacs Lisp
- Practical Development: Set up modern development environments and build real applications
- Advanced Techniques: Macros, DSLs, concurrent programming, and metaprogramming
- Real-World Applications: Web services, data processing, browser applications, and more
Who This Book Is For
- Curious Programmers: You’ve heard about Lisp and want to understand what makes it special
- Functional Programming Enthusiasts: You want to learn FP from the source
- Professional Developers: You need powerful abstractions for complex problems
- Language Designers: You want to understand language design fundamentals
- Students: You’re learning computer science and want deep understanding
How to Read This Book
- Sequential Path: Read chapters 1-10 in order for a complete journey
- Dialect-Specific: Jump to chapters 3-7 for specific Lisp dialects
- Practical Focus: Start with chapter 8 for environment setup, then explore projects in chapter 9
- Quick Start: Read chapters 1, 6, and 8 to get started with modern Clojure development
“Lisp isn’t a language, it’s a building material.” - Alan Kay
“Learn Lisp, and you will be enlightened. Use Lisp, and you will be free.”