This is an introduction to the Scheme programming language. It is intended as a quick-start guide, something a novice can use to get a non-trivial working knowledge of the language,before moving on to more comprehensive and in-depth texts.
The text describes an approach to writing a crisp and utilitarian Scheme. Although we will not cover Scheme from abs to zero?, we will not shy away from those aspects of the language that are difficult, messy, nonstandard, or unusual, but nevertheless useful and usable. Such aspects include call-with-current-continuation, system interface, and dialect diversity. Our discussions will be informed by our focus on problemsolving, not by a quest for metalinguistic insight. I have therefore left out many of the staples of traditional Scheme tutorials. There will be no in-depth pedagogy; no dwelling on the semantic appeal of Scheme; no metacircular interpreters; no discussion of the underlying implementation; and no evangelizing about Scheme's virtues. This is not to suggest that these things are unimportant. However, they are arguably not immediately relevant to someone seeking a quick introduction.