A colleague recommended How to Lie with Statistics to me, and despite the fact that it’s from the 1950s (with numbers/examples to match) it’s one of the more entertaining books I’ve read recently. It’s a basic book – very basic; it assumes that you don’t know the difference between mean, median, and mode – and it’s telling that the negative reviews mostly involve either that detail, or the fact that the examples are dated. I didn’t find said dating to be particularly difficult to get my head around, so I can suggest this book for anybody who needs to have an introduction to the subject. From what I can tell, you could generate a rather long list from the Internet without even trying hard.
Well, maybe that wasn’t the nicest way to put it.
And so, adieu to Monster Hunter International
IO have a copy of this I bought second-hand. It is a very enlightening book. I will never trust statistics that are just thrown out there again, especially political polls.
How to Lie With Charts is an interesting read, too.
Put your data in a 3D pie chart, color the section you wish to overemphasize red and put it toward the bottom so the 3D depth adds to the impression of size.
How to Lie with Maps is more of a niche read, but it rounds out the liars library.
And don’t forget Huff’s How to Take a Chance.
Here’s a modern example that Darrell Huff would have loved:
http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/tahoe_turbidity-clarity_sechhi_depth.jpg
What’s wrong with this graph? 8^)
@Tek – I have often said the three books should be issued as a boxed set! Thanks for the plug.
– Gerald Everett Jones, author of How to Lie with Charts