- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Collins
- ISBN-10: 0007303580
- ISBN-13: 978-0007303588
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,790,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I wanted this book from the day I read about it, but waited until the printing errors were sorted out. Amazon haven't really highlighted the publishers note that says this is now on to the third reprint, and is therefore error free. So I now have a copy. And it was worth the 6 month wait.
This really is beautiful. The way some of the figures are presented is brilliantly original, and really fires the imagination for how information could be better presented. And I was surprised at some practical pages as well - eg salad dressing recipes, with quantities represented visually.
This is one of those books that will sit in the book case and be dipped into every now and again for inspiration. Enjoy it.
This really is beautiful. The way some of the figures are presented is brilliantly original, and really fires the imagination for how information could be better presented. And I was surprised at some practical pages as well - eg salad dressing recipes, with quantities represented visually.
This is one of those books that will sit in the book case and be dipped into every now and again for inspiration. Enjoy it.
74 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Author David McCandless deserves full marks for concept, design, and content of this book. It is indeed a beautiful and endlessly fascinating book that presents all sort of information from the profound to the trivial in a highly accessible way. It is the sort of thing that is ideal to dip into at random and know you are bound to come away with some new bit of knowledge, and I have no doubt our copy will end up very well-thumbed indeed.
So why the low marks? Those are for the publishers alone. A substantial number of the graphics here are missing the text that turns them from an abstract image into information. Some graphics seem to disappear off the edge of the page, others have a title but no legend to help decipher the image, graphs may show a legend for only one axis and leave the reader to guess the other. Frustratingly, the author's own website reveals that these errors were noticed in the American edition and he attempted to correct them before the British edition was printed, however the publishers opted to just publish the same book, errors and all.
This should be a stunning book with broad appeal, however in its present state I cannot honestly recommend paying for a copy.
So why the low marks? Those are for the publishers alone. A substantial number of the graphics here are missing the text that turns them from an abstract image into information. Some graphics seem to disappear off the edge of the page, others have a title but no legend to help decipher the image, graphs may show a legend for only one axis and leave the reader to guess the other. Frustratingly, the author's own website reveals that these errors were noticed in the American edition and he attempted to correct them before the British edition was printed, however the publishers opted to just publish the same book, errors and all.
This should be a stunning book with broad appeal, however in its present state I cannot honestly recommend paying for a copy.
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
That there are printing mistakes in this book is a crying shame. For a book that will rise or fall on the veracity of its data, to have twelve pages with the data missing is more than unfortunate. That this UK addition has the same mistakes as an earlier American edition, seems like commercial suicide. What were Collins thinking? I feel for David McCandless, as this book has clearly been a labour of love.
That said, 'Information is Beautiful' is a brilliant book. If the twelve messed up pages were completely absent, it would still be a brilliant book. So even though you feel like you are being cheated, you're not. The other 244 pages are a feast for the eyes, and are well worth parting you from your cash. The US version is in its second edition, so if you want it to be perfect, maybe you could wait for the same over here? (There is an downloadable errata on 'IiB' website)
February strikes me as an odd date for the release of this book. It's exactly the sort of thing you would expect to see on the shelves in the run up to Christmas. It's Schott's Almanac on acid, made to appeal to the reader's inner geek. McCandless' mission is to take the assault of information that comes with living in the technological age, and represent it in a way that is easy to understand: Visually. He does so with aplomb - there are hundreds of facts in here, all in glorious technicolor.
There are graphs, pie charts and flow charts, fairly ordinary ways of displaying information, but there are also bubble clusters, Coxcombs and the delightfully named 'semantic polar grids', which are like candy for nerds. There is even a page displaying visual ways of displaying information. Subjects range from Creation Myths to Salad Dressings, via The Middle East. It's wonderful!
I must confess that you don't have to cut into me very far before you reach my inner geek (nerdiness is only skin deep), but I love this book. I've been flicking through it for hours much to the annoyance of my wife. This is a fine reference book (though I have no idea about the quality of the data collected), and would make an ideal gift for the geek in your life.
That said, 'Information is Beautiful' is a brilliant book. If the twelve messed up pages were completely absent, it would still be a brilliant book. So even though you feel like you are being cheated, you're not. The other 244 pages are a feast for the eyes, and are well worth parting you from your cash. The US version is in its second edition, so if you want it to be perfect, maybe you could wait for the same over here? (There is an downloadable errata on 'IiB' website)
February strikes me as an odd date for the release of this book. It's exactly the sort of thing you would expect to see on the shelves in the run up to Christmas. It's Schott's Almanac on acid, made to appeal to the reader's inner geek. McCandless' mission is to take the assault of information that comes with living in the technological age, and represent it in a way that is easy to understand: Visually. He does so with aplomb - there are hundreds of facts in here, all in glorious technicolor.
There are graphs, pie charts and flow charts, fairly ordinary ways of displaying information, but there are also bubble clusters, Coxcombs and the delightfully named 'semantic polar grids', which are like candy for nerds. There is even a page displaying visual ways of displaying information. Subjects range from Creation Myths to Salad Dressings, via The Middle East. It's wonderful!
I must confess that you don't have to cut into me very far before you reach my inner geek (nerdiness is only skin deep), but I love this book. I've been flicking through it for hours much to the annoyance of my wife. This is a fine reference book (though I have no idea about the quality of the data collected), and would make an ideal gift for the geek in your life.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
speax to my inner geek
i like to curl up in my armchair with this book and let the graphics enthral my eye lobes. nuff said
Published 1 month ago by Stunt Goat
a revelation!
already seen the book at a friends house and knew i had to have a copy. have since bought 3 for friends. excellent info displayed in pictorial format. comedic value high! Read more
Published 1 month ago by margy warg
Amazing book!
This book is genuinely beautiful!
It has such a large variety of data visualization for you to be inspired from and is beautifully put together. Read more
It has such a large variety of data visualization for you to be inspired from and is beautifully put together. Read more
Published 1 month ago by GraphicDesignStudent
Beautiful book
I've had this lying around my house for months and it is the only thing that everybody, regardless of professional background, picks up and will talk about. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Mulligan
Graphics tell a fascinating story
This set of graphics on a huge range of statistics is of interest in both content terms, but also as a powerful representation of facts in a pictorial way. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jean Roberts
Amasingly Beautiful
As the book's title states the information within this book is Beautiful, it shows you how your information can be displayed to get the greatest impact. A really Great Book.
Published 3 months ago by Event Design
Useful and Inspiring resource
A definite must for any graphic designer/design student! I keep being brought back to this book for inspiration and it really is beautiful! Read more
Published 3 months ago by LV
Inspiring, Creative and unusual view
This Book was a recommendation from a Colleague .... Something you will like to read and look at she told me. It was a Real eye-opener ..... I couldn't geht enough of it... Read more
Published 4 months ago by P. Nacke
Amazing book
This book is a perfect gift. It never fails to enchant. I have a copy myself and have given it to others
Published 4 months ago by S. Fagence
a perfect coffee table book
Well it would be if my house wasn't bursting at the seams with books (thank god for Kindle) so it's been regrettably relegated to a bedside table in the spare bedroom, the last... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ed F
Listmania!
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