Programming in Prolog: Using The Iso Standard

by William F. Clocksin

Originally published in 1981, this was the first textbook on programming in the Prolog language and is still the definitive introductory text on Prolog. Though many Prolog textbooks have been published since, this one has withstood the test of time because of its comprehensiveness, tutorial approach, and emphasis on general programming applications. Prolog has continued to attract a great deal of interest in the computer science community, and has turned out to be a basis for an important new generation of programming languages and systems for Artificial Intelligence. Since the previous edition of Programming in Prolog, the language has been standardised by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and this book has been updated accordingly. The authors have also introduced some new material, clarified some explanations, corrected a number of minor errors, and removed appendices about Prolog systems that are now obsolete.

Genres: Programming, Computers, Computer Science, Technology, Nonfiction, Reference, Programming Languages

314 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1981

Reviews

[Tae · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has some issues but overall I think it is a great programming book. I liked how it is structured and the fact that it includes sample programs and proposes some projects.

[Martti · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the 1980s I gave university courses on knowledge programming. I used "Programming in Prolog" as the core reference material on Prolog. The edition published in 1981 was the first textbook on the programming in the Prolog language.

Prolog provides interesting facilities to be used in abstract problem solving and as a tool to program in the terms of logic. It is also very useful in handling relational data base structures. In my own research project I used Prolog to solve mathematical optimization problems in the integer programming domain.

Since the publication of the book in 1981, Prolog has been standardized by ISO. Later versions of this book have been updated to follow the ISO standard. The 1981 version also had minor errors in the programming examples which makes later versions more suitable for readers interested in Prolog.

[Mike Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book that I have read about Prolog. Writing is clear with examples that are understandable and helpful to illustrate the concepts. It is a book written for working programmers interested in learning a bit about Prolog.

[Stephen Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few Prolog books, and this one seems to be the most approachable for humans. Other Prolog books start off with massive amounts of theory talk about Herbrand universes and such or delve into unnecessary minutia of difference lists and other Prolog arcana. This book, on the other hand, is a very gentle introduction--a great first book on Prolog.

[Ramesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off well but gets a little difficult with complicated and dry examples.