Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

By Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Julie Sussman

Book cover of Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Book description

As others have gone into, this is a great programming book for many reasons, and is a must-read for anyone who is interested in software design. Rather than waste time reaffirming the excellent positive reviews of this book, I wanted to cover something that I have not seen in the…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book profoundly changed how I approach functional programming. I found its deep dive into core concepts like recursion, abstraction, and modularity incredibly insightful. The exercises pushed me to think critically and refine my problem-solving process.

Despite being an older book, its content remains relevant and valuable to me.  I consider it the best pragmatic introduction to functional programming.

From Yehonathan's list on become a great developer.

After providing a thorough introduction to its language of choice (Scheme) it quickly demonstrates how make interesting non-trivial programs such as your own square root function or a symbolic differentiation tool, and that's just chapter 1.

All-in-all solid introduction to functional programming, or just programming in general.

From Christian's list on reads with your hands on the keyboard.

Want books like Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 28 books like Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs.

Browse books like Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

Book cover of Naming and Necessity
Book cover of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
Book cover of The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,175

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in object-oriented programming, computer programming, and software engineering?