Let Over Lambda
by Doug Hoyte · first published 2008
67% recommend30% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Deep, demanding treatment of Common Lisp macros that shows what they can really do, including Forth-like macros and tail-call tricks. Suits Lispers who know the basics and want an advanced follow-on to On Lisp.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…end result is that I no longer recommend it. My goto recommendation for newcomers is Norvig's PAIP which is full of insightful moments and unbelievably good code and for people with more experience "Let over Lambda" by Doug Hoyte, which is a mind-blowing book mainly because of the time-transcendent nature of the examples Doug chose.
on “Restarts in Common Lisp” ↗…That's not to say that there are not objects similar to those of Blub made available through CLOS, only that as is typical, Lisp muddies the waters when using terms like "object oriented." $$ $$ Reading Let Over Lambda is what done it to me.
on “Tips on Emacs Lisp programming” ↗You can do cool stuff with unhygienic macros, however, like anaphoric macros. Interested readers should check out On Lisp by Paul Graham, as well as Let Over Lambda by Doug Hoyte.
on “The Nature of Lisp” ↗…to be done here and there. Of course, if you want to know more about macros we will cover them throughout chapters 8-12 also. However, if you can't wait that long then check out "On Lisp" by pg and "Let over Lambda" by Doug Hoyte. Not only are they the best books on macrology -- they are likely the best possible books on macrology.
on “An In-Depth Look at Clojure Collections” ↗…my lisp problems for me. That means you don't even have to venture into the SmugLispWeenies cave most of the time. After that, there are quite a few good books out there. I'm reading Doug Hoyte's "Let Over Lambda" at the moment, which is lots of fun. My current problem with lisp is not the SmugLispWeenies but the fact that there don't seem to be any lisp jobs where I live :-)
on “Why we hate Lisp” ↗…list coming up. Kernighan and Plauger, Software Tools, had a very big influence on my coding style and appreciation for the Unix Way. If you want to learn more about Lisp macros, the exuberant book Let Over Lambda by Doug Hoyte is a fun read. The best book to learn how to implement Forth-like languages is Threaded Interpretive Languages by R. Loelige. Dated and long out of print, but worth getting. Plus, as a…
on “My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part One” ↗…macros to capture variables from code passed to it as well as the environment they expand it. Some cool stuff can be done that way (some uncool foot-shooting too, though). Doug Hoyte's excellent book _Let Over Lambda_ has a lot of examples.
on “Lisp Meta-Programming for C++ Developers: First Macros” ↗Let Over Lambda. Not entirely agnostic, but delves into Forth, Smalltalk, C, Scheme, and Perl while overall being about Lisp. Fascinating book; really a look at metaprogramming (macros) and closures (that's what "let…
on “Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?” ↗…Lisp is a good introductory text. ANSI Common Lisp is older, but still relevant (the standard is from 1994, it hasn't changed, though the community and tooling has the language is stable). On Lisp and Let over Lambda are good follow-on texts if you want to learn about macros, in particular. Common Lisp Recipes is another good one for after PCL. For Emacs Lisp: I just looked at the info pages for emacs. There are…
on “Why Emacs: Redux” ↗…Lisp In Small Pieces by Christian Queinnec. I believe this is the best programming book ever written. The Art of the Metaobject Protocol by Gregor Kiczales and Jim des Rivieres. This is mind-expanding. Let Over Lambda by Doug Hoyte. This is the very foundation of programming. Every time I re-read these books I find more understanding and great intellectual pleasure. If there ever was a prize for the literature in…
on “Pulitzer Prize for Programming Literature” ↗Dude Common Lisp 100%! Don't fret if you think you're mediocre. I myself have been trying to get through On Lisp since 2008. Then, after that, Let over Lambda. Not better, but v strong book, i can tell the guy while not the best at humblebragging has so much cool stuff there. ANSI Common Lisp n that's plenty to not be mediocre! I did get through the whole…
on “A tutorial quantum interpreter in 150 lines of Lisp” ↗…formal semantics I've seen. Too bad it's out of print, but it is a bit dated by now. Now if you're actually talking about the craft of programming, the two best books ever are Graham's On Lisp and Hoyte's Let Over Lambda. Lisp macros are the best programming tool available today, and those are the only books that go in-depth on macros.
on “The myth of the Lisp genius” ↗Let Over Lambda, 50 Years of Lisp by Doug Hoyte It is one of the most challenging and inspiring technical books I have ever read, covering macros in great depth.
on “What is your favorite programming/computer-related book?” ↗Last one was probably Let Over Lambda. One of the few programming books I've read cover to cover.
on “Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?” ↗…of marketing There is no need to market CL. If you are a hardcore programmer then chances are you will love CL. > Yet none of the links discuss this directly or provide tutorials. I can recommend "Let Over Lambda" by Doug Hoyte. > The author goes on to recommend LispWorks as a platform. We have A LOT of extremely high quality free OSS implementations. Pick any. > The "early Web 1.0" vibe is unfortunately common…
on “Why I like Common Lisp” ↗