R5RS
The classic compact report: lexical scope, proper tail recursion, first-class procedures, continuations, numbers, macros, and a small standard library.
Classic Scheme and its sources
R5RS, early Scheme, and the SICP-era tradition.
r5.rs is the historical companion to r7.rs: a compact guide to classic Scheme reports, metacircular interpreters, early language papers, and courses that taught computer science through Scheme.
Start Here
- Read R5RSThe concise 1998 report is the center of this site.
- Work through SICPAbstraction, interpreters, streams, metalinguistic abstraction, and register machines.
- Browse Berkeley CS 61AA complete archive of the Scheme-era SICP course.
- Read the Lambda PapersThe early design and implementation papers around Scheme and lexical scope.
- Move to modern SchemeUse r7.rs for R7RS libraries, current portability, SRFI practice, and modern implementations.
Classic Reports
R4RS
The 1991 report, close to the modern core language and historically important for macro discussion.
R3RS
The 1986 report and the first of the reports using the familiar RnRS naming pattern directly.
Early reports
The 1975, 1978, and 1985 reports show Scheme before the language settled into its later report style.
Courses and Books
- Structure and Interpretation of Computer ProgramsThe canonical Scheme-based text for abstraction, interpreters, and computational processes.
- MIT 6.001 OCWOpenCourseWare materials from MIT's SICP course.
- MIT 6.037A fast-paced SICP course with assignments and Scheme materials.
- Berkeley CS 61A archiveBrian Harvey's archive of the Scheme-era Structure and Interpretation course.
- Simply SchemeA more introductory Scheme text by Brian Harvey and Matthew Wright.
- The Scheme Programming LanguageKent Dybvig's full Scheme book and reference, useful for moving beyond the minimal R5RS report.
History and Research
- Early Scheme standardsOfficial index of R0RS, R1RS, and R2RS with historical context.
- The Lambda PapersSteele and Sussman's early papers on Scheme, continuations, compilers, and lambda as a control abstraction.
- Scheme.orgCentral community entry point for Scheme resources.
- MIT/GNU SchemeA historically important Scheme implementation still maintained by the GNU Project.
- UCB SchemeThe historical Berkeley teaching environment based on STk.
What Belongs Here
- R5RS language reference
- Metacircular evaluators
- SICP and CS 61A notes
- Early report comparisons
- Classic Scheme implementations
- Lambda Papers reading paths
- Tail recursion and continuations
- Macros before R6RS and R7RS
Mirrored Material
Local mirrors are provided for durability and convenience. The canonical sources at standards.scheme.org remain authoritative. Books and courses are linked rather than mirrored unless redistribution terms are clear.