# Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman

55 Hacker News commenters recommended Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Classic computer science text that teaches how programs are built, using Scheme to explore abstraction and interpretation; critics say some of its examples are non-idiomatic and dated.

## Why people recommend it

- Deepens understanding of computer science fundamentals (4 comments): "If you understand all of this book, you understand all of the fundamentals of computer science." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46868098)) "probably the single best thing I did to deepen my understanding of a lot of compsci concepts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47857944)) "Brian calls SICP the actual best computer science course ever invented" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48836400))
- Elegant, well-written, intellectually engaging (4 comments): "most guides are not written to the intellectually engaging level of SICP" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47107814)) "To see really elegant and great code, I recommend looking in books." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48750576)) "I have certainly read and re-read SICP code to enjoy its beauty" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46825814))
- Changes how you think about programming (3 comments): "Reading SICP (and other such mind expansion) has definitely (gradually over a very long period) shaped how I write Python." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46186471)) "Reading SICP and Land of Lisp gave me a newfound appreciation for programming and design." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46844681)) "The most transformative book for me has been SICP" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48274307))
- Worth rereading even for experts (3 comments): "SICP is worth reviewing even if you fundamentally know all the material already." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48055695)) "Read Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs twice (Scheme)." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495413)) "I have certainly read and re-read SICP code to enjoy its beauty" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46825814))

## What people warn about

- Teaches misconceptions and non-idiomatic habits (2 comments): "as beautiful and good as it is, is probably responsible for a large amount of the misconceptions" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49104221)) "It has you writing JS in a non-idiomatic way that you'd never see" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48830935))
- Verbose and dated for some uses (2 comments): "was already considered here to be obsolete with the rise of the library-abstraction culture" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46997548)) "too verbose for anyone learning scheme for a specific purpose like scripting" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46382822))

## Alternatives hackers 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
- [Types and Programming Languages by Benjamin C. Pierce](https://hackerapproved.com/p/types-and-programming-languages.md): 7 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262510456?tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/YOURID/9780262510455) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman", https://hackerapproved.com/p/structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).