8 Prolog Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Drawing from his extensive background in logic programming and artificial intelligence, Leon Sterling co-authored this edition to reflect key advances and evolving standards in Prolog. You’ll find detailed updates on program development techniques, including Sterling’s own stepwise enhancement method, and enriched chapters on cuts, negation, and logic grammars. The book dives deep into constructing expert systems with Prolog interpreters and introduces program transformation concepts that sharpen your coding approach. This text suits those aiming to master both foundational and advanced Prolog programming concepts, especially if you're looking to apply Prolog in AI or language processing contexts.

What happens when decades of AI research meet Prolog programming? Ivan Bratko, a professor leading the AI Lab at Ljubljana University, distills his extensive experience into this book, bridging theory with practical application. You'll explore how Prolog's fundamental mechanisms tackle AI challenges, from expert systems to robot programming, with clear examples and downloadable code to test your skills. The book’s emphasis on blending Prolog techniques with artificial intelligence concepts offers you a nuanced understanding not just of the language, but how it drives intelligent behavior in software. This is especially useful if you want to deepen your grasp of AI programming beyond surface-level tutorials.

This personalized AI-created book explores Prolog logic programming in a way that directly matches your background and goals. It reveals key techniques and concepts tailored to your specific interests, providing a focused path through the complexities of declarative programming. By concentrating on your desired sub-topics, it examines how Prolog’s unique approach enables elegant solutions to logic problems, combining foundational knowledge with advanced applications. The book’s tailored nature ensures you engage deeply with content that matters to you, making your learning journey efficient and rewarding. It bridges expert knowledge with your personal experience, offering a distinct approach to mastering Prolog programming.

Unlike most programming books that dive straight into syntax, this one opens a window into the unique logic-based world of Prolog. Patrick Blackburn and his co-authors guide you through a different mindset—thinking declaratively rather than procedurally—which is crucial for tackling AI and natural language processing challenges. You’ll learn how to represent knowledge and pose queries that let the computer deduce answers logically, not by explicit instructions. Chapters include exercises with answers, helping you practice concepts like recursive definitions and logical inference. If you want to understand how programming and logic intersect, this book offers a clear and grounded introduction, though it’s best suited if you’re ready to embrace a new way of thinking rather than expecting traditional programming tutorials.

Drawing from decades of expertise in artificial intelligence and programming languages, Michael A. Covington alongside Donald Nute and Andre Vellino offers an in-depth exploration of Prolog that goes beyond theory into practical application. You’ll work through building expert systems, natural language processing tools, and utilities for handling diverse file formats, with a rare focus on the ISO Standard Prolog compatible with earlier dialects. The book’s detailed examples and accessible program files invite you to develop real software solutions, making it ideal if you want to move from understanding logic programming concepts to applying them. Its thorough approach suits those ready to deepen their Prolog skills with tangible projects rather than just abstract principles.

Feliks Kluzniak and Stanislaw Szpakowicz bring their deep expertise in programming languages to this focused guide that pushes experienced coders to rethink their approach to Prolog. Rather than a beginner's manual, the book acts as a reorientation exercise, inviting you to engage with Prolog's logic-based paradigm in a way that challenges traditional procedural thinking. You'll explore nuanced programming techniques and problem-solving strategies that are essential for mastering Prolog's unique declarative style. This book suits programmers already comfortable with coding who want to expand their toolkit into logic programming without starting from scratch.

This tailored book offers a dynamic, personalized journey through Prolog programming, designed to match your background and accelerate your learning curve. It covers essential concepts from declarative programming to advanced problem-solving techniques, ensuring you engage deeply with the language’s unique logic. By focusing on your specific interests and goals, it reveals daily lessons that build progressively, helping you internalize core principles and apply them confidently in practical scenarios. The book explores the nuances of Prolog syntax, recursion, backtracking, and meta-programming, blending foundational knowledge with tailored challenges. This personalized approach transforms complex expert knowledge into manageable, targeted learning steps, making your path to Prolog proficiency both efficient and rewarding.

T. Van Le, drawing from his deep expertise in logic programming, offers a thorough walkthrough of Prolog programming that progresses from foundational declarative concepts to advanced meta programming techniques. The book guides you through implementing logical negation and quantified goals, topics often glossed over yet crucial for robust AI applications. You’ll find detailed chapters that clarify the procedural nuances alongside declarative logic, enabling you to build sophisticated Prolog programs with confidence. This text suits those aiming to deepen their understanding of logical programming in AI contexts rather than casual coders seeking a quick introduction.

What started as a commemorative project for Prolog's 50th anniversary became a detailed exploration of the language's evolution and future. Edited by leading figures like David S. Warren and Francesca Rossi, this volume offers you a deep dive into Prolog’s core concepts, extensions, and practical applications, including insights from award-winning projects. You’ll find chapters that ease you into Prolog basics, followed by discussions on teaching strategies and emerging languages inspired by Prolog. If you’re aiming to grasp both foundational knowledge and the latest innovations in logic programming, this book lays it out with clarity and depth.

Drawing from his extensive experience in computer science education, Dennis Merritt crafted this book to demystify Prolog programming for novices and intermediates alike. Rather than overwhelming you with abstract theory, Merritt focuses on practical problem-solving techniques and clear explanations of logic programming foundations, walking through examples that build your skills incrementally. You’ll find chapters that tackle fundamental concepts like unification and backtracking alongside real-world applications, making it easier to grasp how Prolog operates under the hood. This book suits anyone eager to understand the mechanics of logic programming without getting lost in jargon or overly formal mathematics.