# Concrete Abstractions by Hailperin, Kaiser and Knight

2 Hacker News commenters recommended Concrete Abstractions by Hailperin, Kaiser and Knight and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a gentle, self-contained route into foundational computer science and Scheme exercises, and as preparation for SICP.

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs.md): 55 recommend
- [The Art of Computer Programming by Donald E. Knuth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/art-of-computer-programming.md): 28 recommend
- [Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sicp.md): 12 recommend
- [Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Nielsen and Chuang](https://hackerapproved.com/p/quantum-computation-and-quantum-information.md): 12 recommend
- [Digital Design and Computer Architecture by Harris and Harris](https://hackerapproved.com/p/digital-design-and-computer-architecture.md): 8 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0534952119?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780534952112) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Concrete Abstractions by Hailperin, Kaiser and Knight", https://hackerapproved.com/p/concrete-abstractions/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).