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Comment by swannodette | Hacker News Reader

This explanation looks like it was lifted with little modification from The Little Schemer - a book that cannot be recommended enough.

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I agree. It's the best book ever. Also see The Seasoned Schemer and The Reasoned Schemer.

Similarly there is "A Little Java, A Few Patterns", that one teaches Java, and is written by the same authors.

I was so excited about these books that I started writing "The Little C", it's gonna teach C the same way schemer books teach lisp!

PS. I always give proper attribution. You missed "My derivation is based on the one in "The Little Schemer" book."

PPS. The Little Schemer explains very little about what's going on. I explain all the steps in details.

PPPS. Books are meant to be quoted, re-interpreted, and re-stated.

All valid points, though I disagree with PPS :) Learning that sticks comes from filling in the little blanks yourself. I think Friedman is a master of giving tasty little clues while still leaving plenty for the reader to solve by themselves.

i stopped reading it after 4 or 5 steps, it was a nightmare trying to understand that in the Little Schemer.

It took about 3 or 4 readings for me. That's the fun part IMO.

The Little Schemer has got to be one of the most annoying books ever written. The tone makes it sound like they're talking to a 5-year old, and the repetition and glacially slow pace makes for incredibly boring and frustrating reading.

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