Common Lisp Hyperspec in ebook format

The Common Lisp Hyperspec is freely available for download. It is great to have at your fingertips when programming, but I also wanted to read it on my couch rather than glaring at my computer screen for hours on end.

The spec is available to purchase as a pdf, but some posts indicate that the quality is sub-par. There is also a PS version. However, I wanted something that could be read on my Kindle DX without having to zoom in and out all the time. The best way I found was to take the Hyperspec and convert it using Sigil. Since this may be against the terms and conditions of the Hyperspec, I will not publish the resulting file.

Converting the Hyperspec using Sigil was pretty straightforward. With Sigil open, I first added all the files in the Hyperspec’s Front folder under Sigil’s Text folder. Then I added all of the Hyperspec’s Body folder (this will take a minute or two, so be patient). Then just save and you will have a epub version. I then used Calibre to convert and upload to my Kindle.

The resulting epub file is not perfect. The glossary doesn’t seem to be present and each chapter’s Dictionary section was moved to the end of the file. Also many of the links do not work.

If anyone takes the time to fix these issues please let me know! But for now this version will suffice for my needs.