This book introduces the reader to the niceties of samples (random or stratified random), averages (mean, median or modal), errors (probable, standard or unintentional), graphs, indexes and other tools of democratic persuasion.
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A pleasantly subversive little book, Guaranteed to undermine your faith in the almighty statistic.
About the Author
Darrell Huff (1913-2001) was a professional writer. He lived in Carmel, California.
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First Sentence
"THE AVERAGE Yaleman, Class of '24," Time magazine noted once, commenting on something in the New York Sun, "makes $25,111 a year." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
"THE AVERAGE Yaleman, Class of '24," Time magazine noted once, commenting on something in the New York Sun, "makes $25,111 a year." Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Marshall Lord
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This excellent book is something very unusual.
First, it's about numbers but manages to be both extremely easy to read and very entertaining.
Secondly, although it is so accessible that a ten-year old of average intelligence should be able to understand everything in this book, the points it makes are so universal in application that even someone with much greater mathematical knowledge - and I write this as a graduate with two degrees in a discipline which requires statistical understanding - can find it full of useful reminders and even the odd valuable idea you might not have thought of or heard of.
The book is about how numbers can be manipulated, by accident or design, to trick people into making false conclusions, and how to spot when you are being fed misleading numbers. In this day and age the ability to spot bad statistics is extremely important to everyone and can literally be a life-saver.
I was very surprised indeed to see that a previous reviewer had described this book as "not for everyone." I could not disagree more strongly.
If every voter read this book, fewer bad politicians would be elected on the basis of dishonest campaign statistics, if every consumer read it, fewer bad products would be sold on the basis of dishonest advertising statistics, and if every journalist read it there might be less harm done by scare stories based on bad statistics.
Despite the fact that this book was written many years ago, every single word in it is still very relevant today.
However, anyone with a serious interest in the subject who wants an update on some of the more recent examples of how statistics are misused should still start by reading "How to Lie with Statistics" and then follow up with the equally good "Damn Lies and Statistics" by Joel Best, which is more current and nearly as accessible. The two books complement each other very well.
First, it's about numbers but manages to be both extremely easy to read and very entertaining.
Secondly, although it is so accessible that a ten-year old of average intelligence should be able to understand everything in this book, the points it makes are so universal in application that even someone with much greater mathematical knowledge - and I write this as a graduate with two degrees in a discipline which requires statistical understanding - can find it full of useful reminders and even the odd valuable idea you might not have thought of or heard of.
The book is about how numbers can be manipulated, by accident or design, to trick people into making false conclusions, and how to spot when you are being fed misleading numbers. In this day and age the ability to spot bad statistics is extremely important to everyone and can literally be a life-saver.
I was very surprised indeed to see that a previous reviewer had described this book as "not for everyone." I could not disagree more strongly.
If every voter read this book, fewer bad politicians would be elected on the basis of dishonest campaign statistics, if every consumer read it, fewer bad products would be sold on the basis of dishonest advertising statistics, and if every journalist read it there might be less harm done by scare stories based on bad statistics.
Despite the fact that this book was written many years ago, every single word in it is still very relevant today.
However, anyone with a serious interest in the subject who wants an update on some of the more recent examples of how statistics are misused should still start by reading "How to Lie with Statistics" and then follow up with the equally good "Damn Lies and Statistics" by Joel Best, which is more current and nearly as accessible. The two books complement each other very well.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this book when I was about 12, and re-read it now that I'm in my 20s, and am amazed by how good it is. It's got the complexity of a textbook, but the writer has no pretensions and has managed to get the information across in a way so simple a child can easily read the book and understand some of his lessons and examples.
There are plenty of lessons about how we should interpret the numbers we come across every day in adverts and (potentialy biased) news reports and there is nobody living in the developed world who can't benefit from the enlightenment that this brings.
The only disappointing aspect of this book is that it's so short, an accomplished reader with some knowledge of statistics could get through the book in a single (if lengthy) sitting.
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By LBatik
Format:Paperback
While anyone who has dealt with statistics in a professional capacity is probably familiar with the contents already, it is still a handy little reference. And for anyone in an introductory course of study or who is simply concerned enough to wonder about the truth of what they read, this is absolutely invaluable.
It is not a long book, and some of the examples are dated (physicians recommending brands of tobacco, for instance), but the meat of the book is both accurate and extremely readable. It covers the ways that statistics can be made to show pretty much anything, both through deliberate manipulation and through simple sloppiness. The main chapters cover issues such as inadequate and biased samples, how to provide subtly and not-so-subtly misleading (though technically accurate) visual charts and representations, how to manipulate perception by eliminating inconvenient precision and adding spurious precision, how to manipulate perception by supplying numbers without context or by simply leaving inconvenient facts out, and how to confuse people thoroughly about correlation vs. cause-and-effect. The final chapter provides a nice summary: the questions you absolutely must ask about any figure you are presented with, in order to judge its worth.
As the author himself says, it may read something like a graduate text on dishonesty, but one can assume that people who deliberately wish to mislead have figured out how already; this is to educate the honest person who wishes to be alert. It is frequently used as a text in undergraduate statistics courses, for good reason.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A funny guide to statistics
I found this a interesting and quite funny guide to statistics. Glad to have this on my desk as I do reports and stats for a living.
Published 13 days ago by wes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing too surprising
Mostly common sense. A good read and short book you finish quite quickly. It's was written a while ago and still relevant today.
Published 1 month ago by Guido4u2
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Basics
For both the layman and the expert alike, this book is indispensable.
It was recommended to me when I first became interested in how my employer's quality systems worked... Read more
It was recommended to me when I first became interested in how my employer's quality systems worked... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mark Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good book to dip in and out of
Lots to learn here! Some fun illustrations and interesting observations (which will make you feel silly if you've fallen for some of the so called 'statistics'. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Cecilia
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice easy read which will greatly change the way you think
This is an old book but the ideas are very much applicable today, it is not so much a book about statistics but rather advice on how to think critically when faced with statistics. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Rainmaker
5.0 out of 5 stars
I actually read a book on stats for fun!
Its an old book, its an American book, so some of the examples are a bit out of context but its all great stuff. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Akku
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but short
While the examples are a bit dated, the contents are still true. It shows some great understandable examples of the misuse of statistics. Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2010 by Jesse van Bekkum
5.0 out of 5 stars
Or how to catch other people's innumeracy or intellectual laziness
Huff's book is an essential piece of reading for pretty much anyone (and particularly people who have not had a thorough grounding in statistics). Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2010 by AK
4.0 out of 5 stars
A classic; once original, now common knowledge.
I bought this book, because of the reviews here, and because I had heard that it was a classic. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed. Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2010 by A. P. J. Jansen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unreserved recommendation
One of those true rarities, "How To Lie With Statistics" is a true "must read" for everyone. Very readable, and very relevant. Read more
Published on 16 April 2010 by Mr. N. J. Horne
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