Lispcraft
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Minor peel to back of cover.
Before Python, before Java, before C++ dominated the landscape, there was LISP — the elegant, parenthesis-laden language that powered the golden age of artificial intelligence — and LISPcraft is the definitive guide to mastering it. Robert Wilensky presents a thorough and methodical introduction to LISP programming, guiding readers from foundational concepts such as symbolic expressions and list manipulation through to advanced topics including recursion, higher-order functions, and the construction of intelligent systems. Written for students and practitioners alike, the text instructs with remarkable clarity, grounding each concept in practical exercises that build genuine programming fluency. The tone is precise yet accessible, reflecting Wilensky's deep expertise as a computer scientist at UC Berkeley. Beyond its role as a technical manual, LISPcraft stands as an artifact of a pivotal moment in computing history, when AI research and programming language design were inseparable pursuits. Wilensky's pedagogical approach argues implicitly that understanding LISP is not merely about syntax, but about developing a fundamentally different way of thinking about computation — one rooted in functional reasoning and symbolic logic. The book remains a landmark text for anyone seeking to understand the intellectual foundations of modern AI, and leaves the reader wondering: if LISP had won the programming wars, what would our computational world look like today?
Author: Robert Wilensky
Format: Paperback
Published: 1984, W. W. Norton & Company
Genre: Science
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Minor peel to back of cover.
Before Python, before Java, before C++ dominated the landscape, there was LISP — the elegant, parenthesis-laden language that powered the golden age of artificial intelligence — and LISPcraft is the definitive guide to mastering it. Robert Wilensky presents a thorough and methodical introduction to LISP programming, guiding readers from foundational concepts such as symbolic expressions and list manipulation through to advanced topics including recursion, higher-order functions, and the construction of intelligent systems. Written for students and practitioners alike, the text instructs with remarkable clarity, grounding each concept in practical exercises that build genuine programming fluency. The tone is precise yet accessible, reflecting Wilensky's deep expertise as a computer scientist at UC Berkeley. Beyond its role as a technical manual, LISPcraft stands as an artifact of a pivotal moment in computing history, when AI research and programming language design were inseparable pursuits. Wilensky's pedagogical approach argues implicitly that understanding LISP is not merely about syntax, but about developing a fundamentally different way of thinking about computation — one rooted in functional reasoning and symbolic logic. The book remains a landmark text for anyone seeking to understand the intellectual foundations of modern AI, and leaves the reader wondering: if LISP had won the programming wars, what would our computational world look like today?