Name: Compiling with Continuations
ISBN: 9780521033114

Compiling with Continuations

This book shows how continuation-passing style is used as an intermediate representation to perform optimizations and program transformations. Continuations can be used to compile most programming languages. The method is illustrated in a compiler for the programming language Standard ML. Prior knowledge of ML, however, is not necessary, as the author carefully explains each concept as it arises. This is the first book to show how concepts from the theory of programming languages can be applied to the production of practical optimizing compilers for modern languages like ML. All the details of compiling are covered, including the interface to a runtime system and garbage collector.

What Hacker News says

pjmlpApr 2026

It was a product of its time I guess, much better ones from similar vintage,

The Tiger book (with C, Standard ML, and Java variants)

https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/modern/

Compiler Design in C (freely available nowadays, beware this is between K&R C and C89)

https://holub.com/compiler/

lcc, A Retargetable Compiler for ANSI C

https://drh.github.io/lcc/

Or if one wants to go with more clever stuff,

Compiling with Continuations

Lisp in Small Pieces

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antonvsOct 2025

I've never actually looked at that compiler, so can't comment on it, but have you read Appel's "Compiling with Continuations"? It motivates and explains the process very clearly. Add ANF into the mix and it's a very straightforward, well-defined system - much more so than SSA.

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mrkeenSep 2025

> The book has no exercises. This positions it awkwardly in the broader perspective of compiler study. It’s as if it’s a book that isn’t meant to be studied or understood, or perhaps it just doesn’t care.

I bought it because it demonstrated how to cps-transform code, which was my goal. I think it delivered.

For a "broader perspective", see the follow-up papers:

  Compiling with Continuations, Continued (2007) (Cited by 154)” “The Essence of Compiling with Continuations (1993) (Cited by 806)” “Compiling with continuations, or without? whatever. (2019) (Cited by 34)”

(...which TFA characterised as "parody")

FWIW, after I implemented CPS this way, I eventually switched to ANF for typing reasons. I'm a bit of a beginner at type inference and could not assign a meaningful type to the extra term ("continuation") that CPS produces (and which ANF does not).

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fire_lakeJul 2024

Appel has a book on compiling with CPS Compiling with Continuations. It’s implemented in SML so the types are front and center. Might be of use!

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undecidabotApr 2024

Also worth reading: Compiling with Continuations, Continued (2007) [1]

[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/...

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assbuttbuttassAug 2023

Ultimately, diving deeper with only websites and articles can be quite challenging. I experienced this myself trying to learn more about the continuation passing style transformation in a compiler. No online websites or articles discussed the topic with any kind of depth.

Ultimately I read the classic book "Compiling with Continuations", and it basically cleared up all my confusions.

All of this is to say, don't discount books and courses. They will almost always be more in depth and correct than what you will find written up on a website.

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