Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

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Front cover

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) is a textbook published in 1985 about general computer programming concepts from MIT Press written by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman, with Julie Sussman. It has been used as the textbook for an introductory course in computer programming for students of computer science at MIT, where it is known as 6.001, and at other schools. Now in its second edition (ISBN 0-262-51087-1), it is widely considered a classic text in computer science. It is also known as the Wizard Book (there is a wizard on the cover), and less commonly, the Purple Book.

Using a dialect of the Lisp programming language known as Scheme, the book explains core computer science concepts, including abstraction, recursion, interpreters and metalinguistic abstraction.

[edit] See also

SICP has been influential in computer science education, and a number of later books have been inspired by its style.

Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics for another book by Gerald Jay Sussman that uses Scheme
How to Design Programs is a more accessible book for introductory Computer Science that incorporates a lot of the same ideas as SICP.
Essentials of Programming Languages is a book for Programming Languages courses.
Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming is a recent book that does not use Scheme, but also adopts an interpreter-based approach.