I even tried Land of Lisp only because it was supposed to be fun, but unfortunately it used this horrible and widespread format where the author writes all the code for you and proceeds to an explanation.

There is no creation (or creative problem solving) ! And creation is the fun component, it should be the point of programming.

Later, I read the Little Schemer and I found it very fun and engaging. Because I had to think by myself, I realized I learned more in 30 minutes with the Little Schemer than 200 pages of Land of Lisp.

My first attempt at programming was with an horribly dull PHP book. 5 stars on Amazon, but it was again the same format where the author writes all the code for you and then explains it, and did not provide any exercise.

I think the perfect programming book would be a mix of the Little Schemer and K&R : the quiz format for the theory coupled with challenging exercises. There is no greater reward and way to learn than solving problems by yourself.

I have seen most students prefer to presented with a whole working program and then expand on it in the challenges the book provides. The author of this article was expressing a desire for shorter books that give full code listings rather than code snippets and challenges that you seem to prefer.

SICP itself (http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/) is worth checking out, too. I doubt you would find the book itself to your taste, but there are programming exercises at the end of each section.

Also, for what it's worth, my favorite language for working Project Euler problems is Scheme, by far.

Smaller, better books please. I have been, and will continue to, vote with my wallet.

http://www.scheme.com/tspl3/

I can't comment about the pandering though.

[1] "This edition of the book drops the design of imperative programs. The old chapters remain available on-line"

[2] http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/Draft/index.html

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/Draft/i1-2.html

Many chapters after that one are just blank.

http://www.scheme.com/tspl4/

Also, Wikipedia says that "Teach Yourself Scheme in Fixnum Days" is outdated in some parts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teach_Yourself_Scheme_in_Fixnum...

    Bigger books sell better.

There is a fixed cost, we'll call it X, to get the {book/meal/arrangement) made, the marginal cost of {paper/food/flowers) is small relative to the fixed cost and yet is the dominant factor in perceived value.

Understanding this you can use it to your advantage. You can boost the percieved value of a book or meal or floral arrangement by boosting its pages, vegetables, or flowers. The recipient will feel better about getting and the buyer will feel better about paying for something with a higher perceived value.

"It is an article of faith in the computer publishing that bigger books sell better. They take up more space on the shelf and readers with a tech problem find a bigger book comforting. Readers aren't really sure what is wrong with their computer and they only have a few minutes in the bookstore so they figure the thickest book is the most likely to contain the solution."

http://philip.greenspun.com/wtr/dead-trees/story

It was if those guys had used the language for a few years building a diversity of things with it; kept notes; and then really thought about the future reader. I'd have thought that it was a revolutionary approach, not a historical oddity.

I hope that's a joke. If you don't know who K and R are, and where they wrote the book, you should look it up.