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    Cover of Land of Lisp

    Land of Lisp

    Conrad Barski · 2010

    Lisp has been hailed as the world’s most powerful programming language, but its cryptic syntax and academic reputation can be enough to scare off even experienced programmers. Those dark days are finally over—Land of Lisp brings the power of functional programming to the people! With his brilliantly quirky comics and out-of-this-world games, longtime Lisper Conrad Barski teaches you the mysteries of Common Lisp. You’ll start with the basics, like list manipulation, I/O, and recursion, then move on to more complex topics like macros, higher order programming, and domain-specific languages. Then, when your brain overheats, you can kick back with an action-packed comic book interlude! Along the way you’ll create (and play) games like Wizard Adventure, a text adventure with a whiskey-soaked twist, and Grand Theft Wumpus, the most violent version of Hunt the Wumpus the world has ever seen. You'll learn to: –Master the quirks of Lisp’s syntax and semantics –Write concise and elegant functional programs –Use macros, create domain-specific languages, and learn other advanced Lisp techniques –Create your own web server, and use it to play browser-based games –Put your Lisp skills to the test by writing brain-melting games like Dice of Doom and Orc Battle With Land of Lisp, the power of functional programming is yours to wield.

    Lisp & Functional
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    124recommend
    256mentions
    198people
    2009–2026years
    59% recommend35% neutral5% critical

    Mentions per year

    2009201120132015201720192021202320252026

    What Hacker News says

    1. bjornrobergOct 2026
      I love lisp. I have fond memories of reading/studying Land of Lisp many years ago. Glad to see stuff like this being created.
      thread
    2. pamcakeMay 2026
      Another good introduction, full-nonsense: http://landoflisp.com/
      thread
    3. arikrahmanFeb 2026
      Same here, I'm 22 and Uncle Bob sold me on the Lisp language. Reading SICP and Land of Lisp gave me a newfound appreciation for programming and design.
      thread
    4. kagevfMay 2025
      My opinion of LOOP started to change when I read (the much maligned) "Land of Lisp" and went over that "periodic" diagram in TFA. Seeing the elements of LOOP broken down like that went a long way to get me to overcome my original aversion to it.
      thread
    5. nicklafMay 2024
      Check out Conrad Barski's Land of Lisp: http://landoflisp.com/
      thread
    6. mr_spothawkApr 2024
      here's a fun book called Land of Lisp. It'll give you a reason to work in Emacs, and you can start learning Lisp too.

      https://www.amazon.com/Land-Lisp-Learn-Program-Game/dp/15932...

      I keep a journal in Org Mode, and that's how I've learned to use emacs.

      thread

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