Preface to the LFE Edition

Unbound creativity is the power and the weakness of the Force. The Art of Programming Well lies in forging a balance between endless possibilities and strict discipline.

--Cristina Videira Lopes, "Jedi Masters", on the history of Lisp and programming

In the spirit of Alan Perlis' "keeping fun in computing" and Cristina Lopes' entreaty for creativity bounded by the practical, the preface to the LFE edition of this book will cover the following topics:

• A Tale of Lisp Not Often Told
• The Origins of Erlang and LFE
• The Place of Lisp in the 21st Century
• Changes from the Second Edition
• Source Code for This Book