Next time you see statistics you think are bogus, think of this book!

[benburch]

"How To Lie With Statistics" by Darrell Huff It is an absolute CLASSIC.

I read this literally as a child and it changed my understanding of published statistics for life.

I give it my highest recommendation.

If you have not read this book, you simply must buy, beg, or borrow a copy at once!

PS. Please K&R

[napi21]

1. I haven't read the book, but as an accountant for 45+ years,

I guarantee you, IT'S TRUE! The title says it all.

[benburch]

4. And the illustrations are great too.

This was originally published in 1953, and the copy I read was from that first printing.

I am SO glad it is back in print after two generations! Seems I am not the only one to fondly remember this book.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

2. Done! n/t

[NYC]

3. I've added it to my list.

It's a long list. Who knows if I'll ever get to it.

[Warpy]

5. This should be required reading for all political junkies

along with the dated but still useful "The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard. Both supply the avid news reader adequate tools with which to deconstruct most propaganda.

Huff's book may sound intimidating, but it's a very slim paperback and a quick read.

[benburch]

6. I read it when I was a lad of nine.

So nobody here should have a hard time with it.

[Lisa]

7. makes a nice pairing with "How to Lie With Maps" (Mark Monmonier)

Huff's book is great, not just for teaching intro stats, but critical thinking in general. And when I was discussing the Monmonier book with my class, at around the time of the Iraq invasion, we deconstructed the maps from various sources. The students got so they could predict which news outlet had done which map (from features they emphasized, the color scheme, and the relative impression of "success").

"How to Lie With Statistics" is great not just for college-age students, but for high school and postgraduate levels too (it holds up well for repeat readings, and even though it refers to some examples which are several decades old, they are really timeless). Plus it's concise and doesn't cost that much. Edward Tufte's "The Visual Display of Quantative Information" is pricier, but has some great graphics, and elaborates more on what Huff talks about, in terms of graphs and charts.

p.s. anyone who thinks that North American students are incapable of understanding math or stats should check out the reaction of intro classes to the Huff book. Even the kids who claim they "don't care about science" perk right up, because as soon as they realize that this is about people who are trying to cheat them, it becomes a personal issue. Pretty quickly, they see that this kind of information is something that can keep them from being misled -- and even allows them to challenge others (particularly authority figures) who are BSing them.

[annabanana]

8. boing... back to page one

Because this is a great book!

[cally]

9. This is a must read for politicos

K & R