Common Lisp the Language

Before standardization

The first edition (Digital Press, 1984; ISBN 0-932376-41-X; 465 pages) served as the basis for the ANSI Common Lisp standard. It was written by Guy L. Steele Jr., Scott Fahlman, Richard P. Gabriel, David A. Moon, and Daniel L. Weinreb.

During standardization

The second edition (Digital Press, 1990; ISBN 1-55558-041-6; 1029 pages) reflected the then-current status of the standardization process and documented important new features such as Common Lisp Object System (CLOS), the loop macro and conditions. It also has a chapter on series and generators.

After standardization

The ANSI Common Lisp standard was published in 1994 and differs from the dialects described in Common Lisp the Language (1984) and Common Lisp the Language, Second Edition (1990). Substantive additions and deletions were made between the time of the Second Edition and the final version of ANSI Common Lisp. Also, series and generators were discussed in appendix matter of the Second Edition but were not a part of any working draft nor the final version of ANSI Common Lisp.

Although ANSI Common Lisp and the dialects described by the two editions of Common Lisp the Language differ, the ANSI Common Lisp specification indirectly acknowledges the practical importance of Common Lisp the Language (first and second edition) by taking the effort to suggest keywords :cltl1 and :cltl2 for potential inclusion on the *features* list, allowing conditionals to be added to code that must interoperate between ANSI Common Lisp and those other dialects.