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Review
In Picturing the Uncertain World, Howard Wainer approaches this problem through stories, and every one is a gem. This is territory that has long been dominated by the books of Edward Tufte . . . but Wainer's approach is refreshingly different. He has himself been involved in many policy debates and understands well that the same information can be interpreted in a variety of ways to support widely divergent positions. . . . Like two of Wainer's earlier books . . . this one makes for very fine reading and would be an excellent text for a general-education seminar. (Michael Goodchild American Scientist )
As enjoyable to read as it is enlightening, [Picturing the Uncertain World] includes far more than its title indicates. Throughout, Wainer illuminates many of the big ideas of statistics in ways that help the reader understand and value the ideas. He provides contrasting graphical forms to demonstrate good data displays and incorporates analogies to help readers understand why certain logical arguments are flawed. . . . Anyone would enjoy reading this book. (Mathematics Teacher )
This is a very well-written book with subtle analyses and a refreshing approach to the field of statistics. For information designers the book offers ideal access to the science of uncertainty. Moreover . . . Wainer has succeeded in linking together two disciplines: statistical thinking and visual communication. (Wibke Weber Information Design Journal )
Howard Wainer's book of the science of uncertainty (his label for the science of statistics), and how to recognize and manage it, is a combination of breezy, clever writing and unique visual examples with tutorials to clarify the technical aspects. It belongs on graphic artist's bookshelves. (Peter F. Eder World Future Review )
Even an experienced statistician will find valuable insights in this book of careful thought, clear exposition, and fine visualization. (Mathematics Magazine )
As enjoyable to read as it is enlightening, [Picturing the Uncertain World] includes far more than its title indicates. Throughout, Wainer illuminates many of the big ideas of statistics in ways that help the reader understand and value the ideas. He provides contrasting graphical forms to demonstrate good data displays and incorporates analogies to help readers understand why certain logical arguments are flawed. . . . Anyone would enjoy reading this book. (Mathematics Teacher )
This is a very well-written book with subtle analyses and a refreshing approach to the field of statistics. For information designers the book offers ideal access to the science of uncertainty. Moreover . . . Wainer has succeeded in linking together two disciplines: statistical thinking and visual communication. (Wibke Weber Information Design Journal )
Howard Wainer's book of the science of uncertainty (his label for the science of statistics), and how to recognize and manage it, is a combination of breezy, clever writing and unique visual examples with tutorials to clarify the technical aspects. It belongs on graphic artist's bookshelves. (Peter F. Eder World Future Review )
Even an experienced statistician will find valuable insights in this book of careful thought, clear exposition, and fine visualization. (Mathematics Magazine )
Product Description
In his entertaining and informative book Graphic Discovery, Howard Wainer unlocked the power of graphical display to make complex problems clear. Now he's back with Picturing the Uncertain World, a book that explores how graphs can serve as maps to guide us when the information we have is ambiguous or incomplete. Using a visually diverse sampling of graphical display, from heartrending autobiographical displays of genocide in the Kovno ghetto to the "Pie Chart of Mystery" in a New Yorker cartoon, Wainer illustrates the many ways graphs can be used--and misused--as we try to make sense of an uncertain world.
Picturing the Uncertain World takes readers on an extraordinary graphical adventure, revealing how the visual communication of data offers answers to vexing questions yet also highlights the measure of uncertainty in almost everything we do. Are cancer rates higher or lower in rural communities? How can you know how much money to sock away for retirement when you don't know when you'll die? And where exactly did nineteenth-century novelists get their ideas? These are some of the fascinating questions Wainer invites readers to consider. Along the way he traces the origins and development of graphical display, from William Playfair, who pioneered the use of graphs in the eighteenth century, to instances today where the public has been misled through poorly designed graphs.
We live in a world full of uncertainty, yet it is within our grasp to take its measure. Read Picturing the Uncertain World and learn how.
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6 reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Required Reading for Policy Wonks
7 Jun 2009
Format:Hardcover
One can argue that the financial turmoil of 2008 resulted from poor decision making in the face of uncertainty. Howard Wainer is a leader in applying a more visual intuitive approach to such issues. His explanation of well meaning but statistically challenged public programs, which have wasted billions of dollars will make you want to throw stuff. This book should be required reading by people entrusted to make policy. I learned a lot from it.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Great art and wit
31 Oct 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is filled with superb graphics and insights into the study of variability and the graphical methods that can be used to summarize data. It is written in many short chapters, each of which is based on one of the authors famous papers, that can be easily digested in about 5 or 10 minutes. While a few places Wainer goes off on brief tangents about the math (that distract from the flow and are hard to follow because the lack of detail) the book flows remarkably well especially given its fractured origins.
The graphics (especially the color plates) are a well rendered collection of great historical value. Graphics by Playfair, Florence Nightingale, Galton, Minard and people tracking deaths in Nazi occupied Lithuania are all talked about in detail. Beyond the art, some of the strong points of the book include: insights into what goes wrong when people do not study variability, the dissection of good and bad graphics to point out what makes a good graphic good, and a great discussion about the graphics of changes over time and how easy it is to misinterpret them.
The down side of the book is that many of the graphics can be rendered fairly easily with modern analytic software (like SAS, S-Plus or R) but the author does not give links for the novice. If you want to combine this with a book that discusses how to make good scientific graphics (like the examples in this book) take a look at the masterpieces by Cleveland Visualizing Data and/or The Elements of Graphing Data.
The graphics (especially the color plates) are a well rendered collection of great historical value. Graphics by Playfair, Florence Nightingale, Galton, Minard and people tracking deaths in Nazi occupied Lithuania are all talked about in detail. Beyond the art, some of the strong points of the book include: insights into what goes wrong when people do not study variability, the dissection of good and bad graphics to point out what makes a good graphic good, and a great discussion about the graphics of changes over time and how easy it is to misinterpret them.
The down side of the book is that many of the graphics can be rendered fairly easily with modern analytic software (like SAS, S-Plus or R) but the author does not give links for the novice. If you want to combine this with a book that discusses how to make good scientific graphics (like the examples in this book) take a look at the masterpieces by Cleveland Visualizing Data and/or The Elements of Graphing Data.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Howard Wainer does it again!
23 May 2009
Format:Hardcover
From the moment you pick this book up, you will be entertained and enlightened in roughly equal measure. Wainer's writing will be clear to readers of any background, and he elucidates his subject matter with wit and poise. His insights into the tools we use to understand our world are frequently profound, but come clothed in modest good humor. In this book Wainer does for graphics what Feynman did for physics in his "Six Easy Pieces."
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