Practical Common Lisp

Practical Common Lisp introduces the Common Lisp programming language through hands-on examples and real-world applications. The book progresses from basic language concepts to advanced topics like macros and object orientation. Each chapter builds practical software projects while teaching core language features and idioms. The projects include tasks like processing ID3 tags, building a unit testing framework, and creating an HTML generation system. The text includes code samples, implementation details, and deep explanations of Common Lisp's unique features like the condition system and CLOS. Reference materials and appendices provide additional context about Common Lisp's history and ecosystem. The book makes a case for Lisp as a practical language for modern software development, emphasizing its flexibility and power through demonstrations rather than theory. Its approach challenges conventional programming paradigms while remaining focused on concrete results.

Readers describe the book as clear, thorough, and practical for learning Common Lisp. Many appreciate how it balances theory with hands-on examples and real-world applications. Likes: - Progressive difficulty that builds concepts naturally - Strong focus on practical programming vs academic theory - Clear explanations of Lisp features like CLOS and macros - Includes complete working examples and case studies - Free online version with good formatting Dislikes: - Some examples feel dated (spam filter, MP3 database) - Later chapters increase in complexity quickly - Not ideal for total programming beginners - Some readers wanted more exercises Ratings: Goodreads: 4.26/5 (447 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (89 ratings) Notable review: "Unlike many Lisp books that get lost in theory, this one shows you how to build real things." - Amazon reviewer "The chapters on macros finally made them click for me after years of confusion." - Goodreads reviewer

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🔹 Peter Seibel interviewed 15 notable programmers for his later book "Coders at Work," including Donald Knuth and Peter Norvig, gathering insights that influenced his teaching approach in Practical Common Lisp. 🔹 The book was originally published online in its entirety before going to print, making it one of the early examples of successful "open access" technical publishing. 🔹 Common Lisp, the language taught in the book, was used to write the flight software for NASA's Remote Agent program, which flew on Deep Space 1 and became the first autonomous AI system to control a spacecraft. 🔹 Author Peter Seibel worked as a programmer for Weblogic and has written code that helps run major websites including Twitter, though he started his career as a court reporter. 🔹 The book's example projects include building a spam filter and an MP3 database, deliberately chosen as real-world applications to counter the perception that Lisp is only for academic or artificial intelligence work.