When comparing The Little Schemer vs The Scheme Programming Language, the Slant community recommends The Little Schemer for most people. In the question“What are the best resources to learn Scheme?” The Little Schemer is ranked 2nd while The Scheme Programming Language is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose The Little Schemer is:
"The Little Schemer" teaches Scheme while also challenging the readers thought process in order to improve overall programming abilities.
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Pros
Pro Aids in teaching programming logic as well as Scheme
"The Little Schemer" teaches Scheme while also challenging the readers thought process in order to improve overall programming abilities.
Pro Creative and humorous teaching style
The authors write in a humorous and witty style that keeps the readers attention throughout the book.
Pro Instructive explanations of concepts
"The Scheme Programming Language" does an excellent job of explaining concepts in a clear and readable way.
Pro Great for use as a reference book
The layout of "The Scheme Programming Language" sets it up as an ideal reference book, making it easy to find specific concepts which are then explained at length.
Cons
Con Lack of detail for more difficult concepts
"The Little Schemer" does touch on more advanced Scheme concepts, however includes only a weak explanation of them. For more advanced topics, the sequel "The Seasoned Schemer", is required.
Con Difficult to follow as an introduction to Scheme
"The Scheme Programming Language" is better suited for use as a reference. As an introduction to the language, the dry writing style and lack of exercises make it less-than-ideal for information retention.