[blue1]

I am not sure that writing a web app is the best way to learn common lisp; it introduces a lot of extra complexity (libraries, web server, etc) in a language that is itself quite complex. You'd better start from a simple CLI application as your first project.

Books: there is also Graham's "ANSI Common Lisp", which has a different approach from PCL; I found it clearer as first text (but PCL is a necessary reading anyway, for various reasons). But it's a matter of cognitive styles, start from the one that you prefer.

Absolutely download the Common Lisp Hyperspec and familiarize with it. Is the main everyday referemce tool of any CLisper.

Environment: Emacs + SLIME is the most popular option. Commercial lisps (and their free evaluation versions) also have good IDEs.

Have fun!

[shanked]

Well, I had an idea for a web application that I'd otherwise create in Python. I figured I'd use Lisp to get some experience using it (also, my AI class next semester uses Lisp).

While it will probably cause some additional hurdles of complexity (such as figuring how how to use ASDF and manage packages), I find it is hard to motivate myself without a shiny carrot in front of me. The web application is something that I would use and want to build, whereas writing a simple and purely educational program doesn't provide the same kind of motivation.

[blue1]

If you can handle, go for it! But if after a while you'll think that lisp is not so different from the other languages after all, it's probably because you tried to learn too many things at once. In that case, persist. :-)