Beautiful Evidence
by Edward R. Tufte
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Book Reviews of Beautiful Evidence
Book Review: Useful perspectives
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the three hardbound Tufte texts I've read this one goes down best. It's a beautiful volume, and despite the fact that I'd been introduced to sparklines in the other Tufte books, the concept sunk in with this book. Give this a try. From the way you design your spreadsheets to the fonts you might choose in a WORD document -- Tufte will influence how you express yourself. Whether your interests are technical or not, Tufte's disciplines and perspectives in how we express and perceive information will empower you to clearly and perhaps more importantly, gracefully express yourself. This is a delightful book -- a true "sleeper" in that it offers so much more than its commercial descriptions. If you really take your time and let this work sink in, people will notice -- whether those people are your boss or just friends.Book Review: Beauty Will Save the World
Summary: 5 Stars
Maurice Cornelius Escher was apparently wildly popular with mathematicians despite a total lack of any formal mathematical training. The examples that Edward Tufte uses to illustrate principals of visual excellence have that same intuitive appeal: it's clear they are both gorgeous and utilitarian even if the reasons why are not fully understood. Each of the 7 substantive chapters of "Beautiful Evidence" contains a range of delicious samples on a particular idea. My personal favorite is "sparklines", "intense, simple, word-sized graphics" that should be seamlessly incorporated into text. (Emoticons are a sort of sparkline.)
"Beauty will save the world" I recently saw emblazoned on a coffee house painting. Edward Tufte will teach us how. :)
Book Review: Another great book in the series
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is again an excellent production and is a must-have. The thing that amazes me is how a change in one's perspective of representing data can suddenly give life to a string of numbers. for example, in an excellent chapter on highlighting how PowerPoint can be misused, most people use artificial ways to make their data more interesting. however, Tufte's continually exhorts us, and shows us, how to use the data itself to uncover the mystery that lies therein - ultimately a much more powerful way to present evidence.
It's hard to find a flaw in a book such as this. But, if I were forced to, then my response would be that there are just a tad too many examples of "how not to represent data."
Book Review: Variations on a theme
Summary: 4 Stars
As one reviewer astutley notes, this beautiful book is a little short on new evidence. If you own his three previous books, there's very little compelling about purchasing this one. Ironically, if you are new to Tufte, this may be his most accessible book to date as he covers several of his pet-peeves - including a scathing condemnation of NASA and PowerPoint.
I own all four of his larger works because I feel his attention to printing detail makes his books closer to art than literature. That said, I do wish the good Doctor would venture into some new territory.
Book Review: A worthwhile read, if you have time to take it all in...
Summary: 4 Stars
Beautiful Evidence
The book goes to great lengths to explain the power and impact of visual imagery on the human mind. This type of psychological information can be valuable for many people in many different fields of expertise. The amount that it covers can be a bit over-bearing if you want to look at specifics to your own specific requirement, best to let it "wash over you" and distill out the key elements of interest afterwards. An interesting book...