An Entertaining Primer on the Validity of Statistics

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	• How to Lie With Statistics Darrell Huff W. W. Norton & Company, 1993 - 142 pages average customer review:based on 88 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A world of liars

I had to read this book for my high school AP statistics class. I truly enjoyed reading this book. My dad had to read the same while he was in college 30 years ago. We were able to discuss the book. Huff was very insightful but humorous at the same time. This book helped me to learn how much goes into statistics and the way that they use their data however they want to. It was a fun way to learn not only about math but about the way that people use that math. It was interesting that even though the book was written over 50 years ago that his examples still worked and I could relate to things he said. I would recommend it to anyone high school level or above especially if you plan on taking or using statistics in your life.

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Clear, Concise, and Fun

How to Lie with Statistics is a fun and informative look at the was in which statisticians try to decieve the public with misleading statistics. Every chapter contains plenty of real-world examles that provide excellent insight into the concepts. The book is a quick read (only 142 pages) and it holds the reader's attention; both are necessities for an educational work. How to Lie with Statistics is perfect for the beginning statistics student or anyone who wants to learn how they can be decieved through the manipulation of numbers. The reading level and math make this more appropriate for high school or college students than for younger students. Using three randomly selected paragraphs, the mean Flesch-Kincaid grade level was 10.4; thus this book is excellent for sophomores or advanced freshman. Although the writing is a little dated (1954), it is still clear and highly relevant. Overall, this is a highly recommended and worthwhile read.

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An Entertaining Primer on the Validity of Statistics

Although "How to Lie with Statistics" is a bit dated (having been written in the 1950's), the principles it puts forth are still valid today--if not moreso than ever--and the material is delivered in clear, concise, and even entertaining anecdotes and illustrations.

How often do you hear statistics bandied about in the media or used to try to prove some special-interest point? "Of course" the people quoting the figures must be right with numbers on their sides... until you look at just how those numbers were arrived at.

This book isn't truly a guide on how to lie with statistics, but it is an excellent text that informs the reader both how others will lie to them using statistics and on how to interpret the validity of purported statistical data.

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Fun to read, a lot to learn for many

If you are a visual person -who prefers graphics and charts to text- and have taken no statistics course in your entire life, this book is a perfect fit for you. If you are a well-educated statistician, but do not know how to apply your tricks in advertisement or publishing industry, the book will work for you, too. Finally, if you are graphic designer working for one of the magazines or creating charts for corporate reports, you can also have a lot of fun by just realizing that now a lot of people know about your tricks. Although the book is written more than 50 years ago, it is still very up-to-date, due to the concept it is targeting: people are still trying to make you believe in things that do not exist by using fancy charts and unrealistically accurate numbers.

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Be skeptical!

How To Lie With Statistics is a simple explaination of the ways numbers can fool you. Darrell Huff's humor makes the topic of statistics more interesting and personal than you would think. Each chapter talks about a different method of misrepresentation, like mixed-up averages, misleading graphs, and faulty experiments. Although they're outdated, the examples from daily life make all the ideas easy to understand. I definitely reccomend this book not because you need to know each specific way numbers can be twisted, but more because Huff instills a general skepticism in the reader. Politicians make arguments and advertisers make claims, but now I know to challenge the numbers that I hear before falling for their "facts".

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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