LISP: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation

LISP: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation by Touretzky, David S.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780060466572.

Here is the only book on LISP written for non-programmers. It is a crucial introductory text, using the most current and advanced LISP dialects. LISP, the preferred programming language for artificial intelligence research and cognitive science, is easier to teach than Pascal or FORTRAN and more powerful to program in than BASIC. LISPs interactive and intuitive nature makes it an especially good language for those first learning about computers and programming. Touretzkys introduction to LISP, written in a clear, non- technical style, eases the reader with a non-mathematical background into programmming. Each lesson is devoted to one main concept and concludes with a review of major ideas presented, followed by a list of the functions introduced. Among the outstanding features of this book an interactive approach that emphasizes reasoning about program behavior; many examples and short pen and pencil exercises as well as keyboard exercises for learning on the computer terminal; an excellent treatment of recursion; appendices on LISP dialects and extensions to LISP..