TL;DR
Crafting Interpreters is a technical book by Robert Nystrom that walks readers through building a complete scripting language from main() up. It covers parsing, semantics, bytecode, garbage collection and language features, and is available in print, ebook, PDF and a free web edition.
What happened
Robert Nystrom’s Crafting Interpreters is presented as an end-to-end manual for implementing a practical, efficient scripting language. The book leads readers through building a language implementation starting at main(), and touches both design-level topics (parsing, semantics) and implementation-level details (bytecode layout, garbage collection). Readers are guided to implement language features such as dynamic typing, lexical scope, first-class functions, closures, classes and inheritance, reportedly condensed into a few thousand lines of code that the reader writes themselves. The title is distributed in multiple formats: a 640-page printed edition with illustrations, ebook versions optimized for various readers, a downloadable PDF, and a responsive web edition offered free to read online. Nystrom’s background includes game development at Electronic Arts, authorship of Game Programming Patterns, and work on Google’s Dart language.
Why it matters
- Provides a practical, line-by-line approach for programmers who want to understand how languages are built, not just theory.
- Covers low-level implementation concerns such as bytecode representation and garbage collection that are often glossed over in higher-level texts.
- Multiple formats and a free web edition lower barriers to access for learners worldwide.
- Authored by an experienced practitioner with industry background in games and language development.
Key facts
- Author: Robert Nystrom.
- The printed edition is 640 pages and includes hand-drawn illustrations and custom typesetting.
- Language features taught: rich syntax, dynamic typing, lexical scope, first-class functions, closures, classes and inheritance.
- Topics include parsing, semantics, bytecode representation and garbage collection.
- Distribution formats: print, ebook, PDF and a full web edition that can be read for free.
- Samples of the book are available as downloadable PDFs and ebooks.
- Retail availability includes multiple Amazon regional stores, Barnes & Noble and Book Depository; the PDF and purchases are offered through Payhip.
- Nystrom previously wrote Game Programming Patterns and currently works on the Dart language at Google.
- Site copyright cited as 2015–2021.
What to watch next
- Whether Nystrom will publish an updated edition after 2021 is not confirmed in the source.
- Plans for official companion code repositories or tooling are not confirmed in the source.
- Community forks, translations, or third-party course materials based on the book are not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Interpreter: A program that directly executes instructions written in a programming or scripting language, translating them into actions at runtime rather than producing machine code ahead of time.
- Bytecode: An intermediate, compact binary or numeric representation of program instructions that an interpreter or virtual machine executes.
- Garbage collection: An automatic memory-management technique that reclaims memory occupied by objects no longer reachable by a program.
- Lexical scope: A scoping rule where the visibility of variables is determined by their position within the source code (the textual context) and nested blocks.
- Closure: A function bundled together with its referencing environment so it can access captured variables even when invoked outside their original scope.
Reader FAQ
Is the book available to read for free?
Yes. The source states the entire book is available to read on the web edition for free.
Does the book include implementation-level details like garbage collection and bytecode?
Yes. The site lists bytecode representation and garbage collection among covered topics.
Who is Robert Nystrom?
He is the author; his background includes eight years developing games at Electronic Arts, authoring Game Programming Patterns, and working on the Dart language at Google.
Are there printed and ebook versions to purchase?
Yes. The book is offered in a 640-page printed edition, multiple ebook formats, and a downloadable PDF for purchase.
Does the book include ready-made code examples or a companion repository?
not confirmed in the source
Ever wanted to make your own programming language or wondered how they are designed and built? If so, this book is for you. Crafting Interpreters contains everything you need to…
Sources
- Crafting Interpreters
- Introduction · Crafting Interpreters
- Crafting Interpreters: Nystrom, Robert
- Classes
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