Functional Programming Reading List

Resources from The Pragmatic Bookshelf

Margaret Eldridge

Published in

The Pragmatic Programmers

5 min readAug 23, 2022

We’ve had a fantastic response to functional programming topics so far in 2022. So that you can see what The Pragmatic Bookshelf has to offer, we’ve put together a reading list of our books, some of which you can read directly on Medium.

Elixir

Check out our extensive and growing list of Elixir titles. If you want to learn functional programming, Elixir is a smart way to start due to its straightforward syntax.

Building Table Views with Phoenix LiveView

Data is at the core of every business, but it is useless if nobody can access and analyze it. Learn how to generate…

pragprog.com

Exploring Graphs with Elixir

Data is everywhere-it's just not very well connected, which makes it super hard to relate dataset to dataset. Using…

pragprog.com

Programming Phoenix LiveView

Build highly interactive applications without ever leaving Elixir, the way the experts do. LiveView takes care of…

pragprog.com

Programmer Passport: Elixir

Elixir is a functional language that crosses many boundaries. With a syntax borrowing heavily from Ruby, a runtime that…

pragprog.com

Programmer Passport: OTP

OTP is the heart of the rapidly growing Elixir, the functional language at the heart of Phoenix and LiveView. OTP…

pragprog.com

Build a Weather Station with Elixir and Nerves

The Elixir programming language has become a go-to tool for creating reliable, fault-tolerant, and robust server-side…

pragprog.com

Concurrent Data Processing in Elixir

Learn different ways of writing concurrent code in Elixir and increase your application's performance, without…

pragprog.com

Read Concurrent Data Processing in Elixir on Medium.

Testing Elixir

Elixir offers new paradigms, and challenges you to test in unconventional ways. Start with ExUnit: almost everything…

pragprog.com

Read Testing Elixir on Medium.

Genetic Algorithms in Elixir

From finance to artificial intelligence, genetic algorithms are a powerful tool with a wide array of applications. But…

pragprog.com

Read Genetic Algorithms in Elixir on Medium.

Real-Time Phoenix

Give users the real-time experience they expect, by using Elixir and Phoenix Channels to build applications that…

pragprog.com

Read Real-Time Phoenix on Medium.

Designing Elixir Systems with OTP

You know how to code in Elixir; now learn to think in it. Learn to design libraries with intelligent layers that shape…

pragprog.com

Read Designing Elixir Systems with OTP on Medium.

Programming Phoenix 1.4

Don't accept the compromise between fast and beautiful: you can have it all. Phoenix creator Chris McCord, Elixir…

pragprog.com

Read Programming Phoenix 1.4 on Medium.

Programming Ecto

Languages may come and go, but the relational database endures. Learn how to use Ecto, the premier database library for…

pragprog.com

Read Programming Ecto on Medium.

Property-Based Testing with PropEr, Erlang, and Elixir

Property-based testing helps you create better, more solid tests with little code. By using the PropEr framework in…

pragprog.com

Read Property-Based Testing with PropEr, Erlang, and Elixir on Medium.

Programming Elixir 1.6

This book is the introduction to Elixir for experienced programmers, completely updated for Elixir 1.6 and beyond…

pragprog.com

Read Programming Elixir 1.6 on Medium.

📚 All Elixir titles from The Pragmatic Bookshelf.

Clojure, Scala, and Haskell

Clojure and Haskell fit squarely in the functional programming space. While Scala does have some elements of object-oriented programming, it is strongly typed and appeals to Java programmers. Check out our books on Clojure, Scala, and Haskell.

Web Development with Clojure, Third Edition

Today, developers are increasingly adopting Clojure as a web-development platform. See for yourself what makes Clojure…

pragprog.com

Read Web Development with Clojure, Third Edition on Medium.

Getting Clojure

Behind every programming language lies a vision of how programs should be built. The vision behind Clojure is of a…

pragprog.com

Read Getting Clojure on Medium.

Programming Clojure, Third Edition

Drowning in unnecessary complexity, unmanaged state, and tangles of spaghetti code? In the best tradition of Lisp…

pragprog.com

Read Programming Clojure, Third Edition on Medium.

Mastering Clojure Macros

Level up your skills by taking advantage of Clojure's powerful macro system. Macros make hard things possible and…

pragprog.com

Read Mastering Clojure Macros on Medium.

Clojure Applied

Think in the Clojure way! Once you're familiar with Clojure, take the next step with extended lessons on the best…

pragprog.com

Read Clojure Applied on Medium.

Functional Programming Patterns in Scala and Clojure

Solve real-life programming problems with a fraction of the code that pure object-oriented programming requires. Use…

pragprog.com

Read Functional Programming Patterns in Scala and Clojure on Medium.

Modern Systems Programming with Scala Native

Access the power of bare-metal systems programming with Scala Native, an ahead-of-time Scala compiler. Without the…

pragprog.com

Read Modern Systems Programming with Scala Native on Medium.

Effective Haskell

Put the power of Haskell to work in your programs, learning from an engineer who uses Haskell daily to get practical…

pragprog.com

Other Languages and Frameworks

If you are interested in all things functional, check out these books that cover functional programming topics in additional languages and frameworks.

From Objects to Functions

Build applications quicker and with less effort using functional programming and Kotlin. Learn by building a complete…

pragprog.com

Functional Design Patterns for Express.js

Ready to design Node.js backends that scale elegantly with new features and are a pleasure to maintain? Learn to apply…

pragprog.com

Web Development with ReasonML

Learn ReasonML: a type-safe, functional language that compiles to efficient JavaScript.

pragprog.com

Read Web Development with ReasonML on Medium.

Programming Elm

Elm brings the safety and stability of functional programing to front-end development, making it one of the most…

pragprog.com

Read Programming Elm on Medium.

Functional Programming in Java

Get ready to program in a whole new way. Functional Programming in Java will help you quickly get on top of the new…

pragprog.com

Read Functional Programming in Java on Medium.

Domain Modeling Made Functional

You want increased customer satisfaction, faster development cycles, and less wasted work. Domain-driven design (DDD)…

pragprog.com

Read Domain Modeling Made Functional on Medium.

A Functional Programming Kickstart

There’s nothing natural about Functional Programming. It’s awkward, it feels funny… And then one day you start to see…

pragprog.com

Anthologies on Functional Programming

We have several anthologies that that allow you to explore various aspects of functional programming, including the following titles.

Functional Programming: A PragPub Anthology

Explore functional programming and discover new ways of thinking about code. You know you need to master functional…

pragprog.com

Read Functional Programming: A PragPub Anthology on Medium.

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks

You should learn a programming language every year, as recommended by The Pragmatic Programmer. But if one per year is…

pragprog.com

Read Seven Languages in Seven Weeks on Medium.

Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks

Your software needs to leverage multiple cores, handle thousands of users and terabytes of data, and continue working…

pragprog.com

Read Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks on Medium.

Seven Web Frameworks in Seven Weeks

Whether you need a new tool or just inspiration, Seven Web Frameworks in Seven Weeks explores modern options, giving…

pragprog.com

Read Seven Web Frameworks in Seven Weeks on Medium.

🔊 Is there a functional programming topic you’d like to see us cover in book format? Leave a comment. Do you have an idea that you’d like to write yourself? Check out our Publish with Us page.

Functional Programming Reading List

Resources from The Pragmatic Bookshelf

Elixir

Building Table Views with Phoenix LiveView

Data is at the core of every business, but it is useless if nobody can access and analyze it. Learn how to generate…

Exploring Graphs with Elixir

Data is everywhere-it's just not very well connected, which makes it super hard to relate dataset to dataset. Using…

Programming Phoenix LiveView

Build highly interactive applications without ever leaving Elixir, the way the experts do. LiveView takes care of…

Programmer Passport: Elixir

Elixir is a functional language that crosses many boundaries. With a syntax borrowing heavily from Ruby, a runtime that…

Programmer Passport: OTP

OTP is the heart of the rapidly growing Elixir, the functional language at the heart of Phoenix and LiveView. OTP…

Build a Weather Station with Elixir and Nerves

The Elixir programming language has become a go-to tool for creating reliable, fault-tolerant, and robust server-side…

Concurrent Data Processing in Elixir

Learn different ways of writing concurrent code in Elixir and increase your application's performance, without…

Testing Elixir

Elixir offers new paradigms, and challenges you to test in unconventional ways. Start with ExUnit: almost everything…

Genetic Algorithms in Elixir

From finance to artificial intelligence, genetic algorithms are a powerful tool with a wide array of applications. But…

Real-Time Phoenix

Give users the real-time experience they expect, by using Elixir and Phoenix Channels to build applications that…

Designing Elixir Systems with OTP

You know how to code in Elixir; now learn to think in it. Learn to design libraries with intelligent layers that shape…

Programming Phoenix 1.4

Don't accept the compromise between fast and beautiful: you can have it all. Phoenix creator Chris McCord, Elixir…

Programming Ecto

Languages may come and go, but the relational database endures. Learn how to use Ecto, the premier database library for…

Property-Based Testing with PropEr, Erlang, and Elixir

Property-based testing helps you create better, more solid tests with little code. By using the PropEr framework in…

Programming Elixir 1.6

This book is the introduction to Elixir for experienced programmers, completely updated for Elixir 1.6 and beyond…

Clojure, Scala, and Haskell

Web Development with Clojure, Third Edition

Today, developers are increasingly adopting Clojure as a web-development platform. See for yourself what makes Clojure…

Getting Clojure

Behind every programming language lies a vision of how programs should be built. The vision behind Clojure is of a…

Programming Clojure, Third Edition

Drowning in unnecessary complexity, unmanaged state, and tangles of spaghetti code? In the best tradition of Lisp…

Mastering Clojure Macros

Level up your skills by taking advantage of Clojure's powerful macro system. Macros make hard things possible and…

Clojure Applied

Think in the Clojure way! Once you're familiar with Clojure, take the next step with extended lessons on the best…

Functional Programming Patterns in Scala and Clojure

Solve real-life programming problems with a fraction of the code that pure object-oriented programming requires. Use…

Modern Systems Programming with Scala Native

Access the power of bare-metal systems programming with Scala Native, an ahead-of-time Scala compiler. Without the…

Effective Haskell

Put the power of Haskell to work in your programs, learning from an engineer who uses Haskell daily to get practical…

Other Languages and Frameworks

From Objects to Functions

Build applications quicker and with less effort using functional programming and Kotlin. Learn by building a complete…

Functional Design Patterns for Express.js

Ready to design Node.js backends that scale elegantly with new features and are a pleasure to maintain? Learn to apply…

Web Development with ReasonML

Learn ReasonML: a type-safe, functional language that compiles to efficient JavaScript.

Programming Elm

Elm brings the safety and stability of functional programing to front-end development, making it one of the most…

Functional Programming in Java

Get ready to program in a whole new way. Functional Programming in Java will help you quickly get on top of the new…

Domain Modeling Made Functional

You want increased customer satisfaction, faster development cycles, and less wasted work. Domain-driven design (DDD)…

A Functional Programming Kickstart

There’s nothing natural about Functional Programming. It’s awkward, it feels funny… And then one day you start to see…

Anthologies on Functional Programming

Functional Programming: A PragPub Anthology

Explore functional programming and discover new ways of thinking about code. You know you need to master functional…

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks

You should learn a programming language every year, as recommended by The Pragmatic Programmer. But if one per year is…

Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks

Your software needs to leverage multiple cores, handle thousands of users and terabytes of data, and continue working…

Seven Web Frameworks in Seven Weeks

Whether you need a new tool or just inspiration, Seven Web Frameworks in Seven Weeks explores modern options, giving…

Written by Margaret Eldridge