Foundations of Programming Languages (pdf)

Topics and features: includes review questions and solved practice exercises, with supplementary code and support files available from an associated website; presents an historical perspective on the models of computation used in implementing the programming languages used today; provides the foundations for understanding how the syntax of a language is formally defined by a grammar; illustrates how programs execute at the level of assembly language, through the implementation of a stack-based Python virtual machine called JCoCo and a Python disassembler; introduces object-oriented languages through examples in Java, functional programming with Standard ML, and programming using the logic language Prolog; describes a case study involving the development of a compiler for the high level functional language Small, a robust subset of Standard ML.

Undergraduate students of computer science will find this engaging textbook to be an invaluable guide to the skills and tools needed to become a better programmer. While the text assumes some background in an imperative language, and prior coverage of the basics of data structures, the hands-on approach and easy to follow writing style will enable the reader to quickly grasp the essentials of programming languages, frameworks, and architectures.