The Art of Statistics: Learning from Data
- Downloads：1346
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-07 12:53:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：David Spiegelhalter
- ISBN：0241258766
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Statistics has played a leading role in our scientific understanding of the world for centuries， yet we are all familiar with the way statistical claims can be sensationalized， particularly in the media。 In the age of big data， as data science becomes established as a discipline， a basic grasp of statistical literacy is more important than ever。 In How to Tell the Truth with Statistics， David Spiegelhalter guides the reader through the essential principles we need in order to derive knowledge from data。 Drawing on real world problems to introduce conceptual issues， he shows us how statistics can help us determine the luckiest passenger on the Titanic， whether serial killer Harold Shipman could have been caught earlier， and if a screening for ovarian cancer is beneficial。 How many trees are there on the planet？ Do busier hospitals have higher survival rates？ Why do old men have big ears？ Spiegelhalter reveals the answers to these and many other questions - questions that can only be addressed using statistical science。
Reviews
Jack Maguire
，
This was a solid summary of the field of statistics。 It helps the reader understand when to use various types of stat methods and charts。 I did find parts of it went over my head。 But for the most part， I think this books helped me understand some terms and ideas in statistics that I'd never fully understood in the past。 This was a solid summary of the field of statistics。 It helps the reader understand when to use various types of stat methods and charts。 I did find parts of it went over my head。 But for the most part， I think this books helped me understand some terms and ideas in statistics that I'd never fully understood in the past。 。。。more
JJ
，
Depending on what you're looking for this might good。 Like if you never took Statistics in school， and don't use it for your job， this is a great basic understanding。 Depending on what you're looking for this might good。 Like if you never took Statistics in school， and don't use it for your job， this is a great basic understanding。 。。。more
Justin Evans
，
It's been a *really* long time since I did any mathematics， let alone statistics， which was always my least favorite part。 But this book is really， really good for anyone in that position。 I can easily imagine myself going through the last few chapters again， just in order to understand it better， which is not something I usually feel after reading one of this 'x for the common reader' books。 Well written， pretty well organized， and very smart。 It's been a *really* long time since I did any mathematics， let alone statistics， which was always my least favorite part。 But this book is really， really good for anyone in that position。 I can easily imagine myself going through the last few chapters again， just in order to understand it better， which is not something I usually feel after reading one of this 'x for the common reader' books。 Well written， pretty well organized， and very smart。 。。。more
Karsten
，
Lest supplementært til et kurs jeg har om empiriske metoder。 Anbefaler ikke， med unntak om du er spesielt interessert i statistikk。
Nina （ picturetalk321 ）
，
DNF。 A stupid book that cites only male statisticians and only men-centred examples。 It purports to teach the lay person about statistics but I stopped being able to follow after the initial chapters。 Nothing about the way in which politicians and the media twist and misreport statistics。 Caroline Criado-Perez's Invisible Women and Joni Seagar's Women's Atlas of the World are infinitely more nuanced and more critical。 Also: all the endorsements （and Penguin Books do love their endorsements） are DNF。 A stupid book that cites only male statisticians and only men-centred examples。 It purports to teach the lay person about statistics but I stopped being able to follow after the initial chapters。 Nothing about the way in which politicians and the media twist and misreport statistics。 Caroline Criado-Perez's Invisible Women and Joni Seagar's Women's Atlas of the World are infinitely more nuanced and more critical。 Also: all the endorsements （and Penguin Books do love their endorsements） are by men。 Clearly I am not the target reader so stuff you， too。 。。。more
Jack Fleming
，
I have mixed feelings about this。 Spiegelhalter writes well （he also speaks well - do listen to him if you ever get the chance）， and explains some concepts clearly。The trouble is， I don't know what the audience is for this book。 If it's a truly lay audience （as it aims to be）， then there's too much complexity and detail。 If it's for statisticians and others in the scientific field， then detail around （say） what a p value is doesn't add much。 I think the book *ought* to be aimed at me - a non sci I have mixed feelings about this。 Spiegelhalter writes well （he also speaks well - do listen to him if you ever get the chance）， and explains some concepts clearly。The trouble is， I don't know what the audience is for this book。 If it's a truly lay audience （as it aims to be）， then there's too much complexity and detail。 If it's for statisticians and others in the scientific field， then detail around （say） what a p value is doesn't add much。 I think the book *ought* to be aimed at me - a non scientist with a decent foundation in maths， who works with data which is adjacent to my job。 But for my purposes， stripping the maths away into a glossary just made it harder to understand。Nonetheless， there's some very good stuff in here on basic concepts and how to do stats better， both for those who work with stats on a daily basis， and those who stumble across them occasionally。 The book just needs to go one way or the other on its approach to statistical methods。 。。。more
Aly
，
Ever since starting my degree in data science， I have become more and more interested in how data is used to give information， and how much it pervades so many aspects of our lives。 With this background， reading this book was a beautiful summary of concepts and practices that I've learned， seen others do， or done myself， and this book has helped me to appreciate statistics and how we learn from data so much more。 However， even without any technical knowledge， I think that the author has done a g Ever since starting my degree in data science， I have become more and more interested in how data is used to give information， and how much it pervades so many aspects of our lives。 With this background， reading this book was a beautiful summary of concepts and practices that I've learned， seen others do， or done myself， and this book has helped me to appreciate statistics and how we learn from data so much more。 However， even without any technical knowledge， I think that the author has done a great job of keeping all the explanations as understandable as possible， making it accessible to anyone showing interest in the topic。 It's a great introduction to the wonderful world of data， and I am now even more excited to keep learning more about it。 。。。more
ceri williams
，
Great book to read if you're studying stars - brings it to lifeThis book really helped me get my head around the issues with statistics being reported in the media etc。 Well-written， interesting， beautifully clear Great book to read if you're studying stars - brings it to lifeThis book really helped me get my head around the issues with statistics being reported in the media etc。 Well-written， interesting， beautifully clear 。。。more
Olmo Van Oers
，
First book on statistics that had me laughing out loud at times。
Sharon Taylor
，
This book caught my eye as I studied statistics。 It falls in between a popular science book and a statistical textbook on the technical spectrum， which is great for statisticians and interested readers alike。 What I liked is that it gave a gentle overview of fundamentals， which always serves to bring the important principles to the front of your mind again。 For non-statistics readers， it would provide a greater understanding of statistics， without having to know all the maths - but it doesn’t gl This book caught my eye as I studied statistics。 It falls in between a popular science book and a statistical textbook on the technical spectrum， which is great for statisticians and interested readers alike。 What I liked is that it gave a gentle overview of fundamentals， which always serves to bring the important principles to the front of your mind again。 For non-statistics readers， it would provide a greater understanding of statistics， without having to know all the maths - but it doesn’t gloss over important concepts either。 The author used real life cases and research questions to apply what he was explaining and the use of charts and tables was relevant and easy to grasp at first glance。 The discussions also included the history and development and application of the concepts and theories which was really interesting。 The book ended with discussion of how analyses can ‘go wrong’ and how they can be done ‘better’， which I thought was a great inclusion， given that rigour and interpretation and reproducibility are topics frequently discussed。 。。。more
Lucy Walters
，
What do you see？The island， life， death and decay that feeds new life。 Warmth， cold， peace， violence。And between it all？Statistics。
Carl Hansen
，
If you only read one non-fiction book in 2021 or even any given year， this should be the one。 By far one of the most simple and efficient books about statistics， the methods， pitfalls and potentials。 This book starts off where all statistics courses should start， but simply don’t （in fact where a lot of statistic courses begin， is buried deep within the book）。I’m gonna emphasize two quotes within this review。 One from the author David Spiegelhalter and the other from Francis Galton。 “Even in an If you only read one non-fiction book in 2021 or even any given year， this should be the one。 By far one of the most simple and efficient books about statistics， the methods， pitfalls and potentials。 This book starts off where all statistics courses should start， but simply don’t （in fact where a lot of statistic courses begin， is buried deep within the book）。I’m gonna emphasize two quotes within this review。 One from the author David Spiegelhalter and the other from Francis Galton。 “Even in an era of open data， data science and data journalism， we still need basic statistical principles in order not to be misled by apparent patterns in the numbers” - David Spiegelhalter In times such as now with COVID-19 ， the climate crisis， the ethics of data usage， this book is an excellent introduction into some of these and the quote above encompasses the need for understanding even the basics， and for the most part just the basics to be informed and be able to decide which sort of society we should be surrounded by。 “I know of scarcely anything so apt to impress the imagination as the wonderful form of cosmic order expressed by the "Law of Frequency of Error。" The law would have been personified by the Greeks and deified， if they had known of it。 It reigns with serenity and in complete self-effacement， amidst the wildest confusion。 The huger the mob， and the greater the apparent anarchy， the more perfect is its sway。 It is the supreme law of Unreason。 Whenever a large sample of chaotic elements are taken in hand and marshalled in the order of their magnitude， an unsuspected and most beautiful form of regularity proves to have been latent all alone。 “ - Francis Galton。 Some of the incredible marvels of seemingly random and intentional（but not organized） incidents can be found within the language of statistics and the above quote can be found as Spiegelhalter takes your hand and shows you the power of what statistics can do and where it can take you。 I will recommend this book any day of the week and will even go as far and say that this should be on the curriculum of life and can ensure that society doesn’t fall backwards because one is swayed by forces you don’t understand。 This book can counter that。 Do yourself a favor and read marvelous book and your life just might change。 。。。more
Enid
，
This book started off very strongly for me- great examples and clear explanations。 Then it started to bog down a bit- it got much drier， which had to happen a bit with the explanation of the more statistically based stuff- but there weren't as many cool stories to go along with those parts to keep up the interest level。 It was an interesting overview of a wide range of topics。 This book started off very strongly for me- great examples and clear explanations。 Then it started to bog down a bit- it got much drier， which had to happen a bit with the explanation of the more statistically based stuff- but there weren't as many cool stories to go along with those parts to keep up the interest level。 It was an interesting overview of a wide range of topics。 。。。more
Ben Clark
，
Very well written and possibly very well explained when it comes to the more difficult stuff - I will say that as someone who does data analysis using Excel on a regular basis， I thought the more difficult stuff in the book would come easier to me， but it didn't， I even skipped a couple of chapters because I just simply wasn't getting it， that may be an overestimation of my ability or the writer's complicated style for those parts or just the nature of statistics， probably the first and last。Oth Very well written and possibly very well explained when it comes to the more difficult stuff - I will say that as someone who does data analysis using Excel on a regular basis， I thought the more difficult stuff in the book would come easier to me， but it didn't， I even skipped a couple of chapters because I just simply wasn't getting it， that may be an overestimation of my ability or the writer's complicated style for those parts or just the nature of statistics， probably the first and last。Other than that I think it's a must for anyone who wants to understand how statistics are used， their origins， the theory behind it and some very interesting stories and events that have happened throughout the years regarding statistics and their uses。 I did feel like a lot of the theory I did kind of know but it "fleshed" it out a lot more and made it more precise so for that I found it very useful， just couldn't be arsed with the crazy models， I will probably read a more basic book focused on those models then go back to it one day。Much like psychology or economics for example， it seems as though statistical science is still very much debated and there are several schools of thought which is always nice。 。。。more
Aron
，
The book provides a good overview of statistical concepts。 It explains the concept behind different statistical measures， why they are important， and how they help to answer important questions。 It also explains how these techniques can lead to problems if they are misused。
Sam
，
This is a really good book on statistics， as Spiegelhalter's manner of explanation differs a lot from traditional introductory courses， which makes this book both a good introduction in statistics and also recreational reading。 Though for me statistics is still magic， and the following quotes explain， why it is so:1） "[。。。] our "statistical" idea of causation is not strictly deterministic。 When we say X causes Y， we do not mean that every time X occurs ， Y will too。"2） "We have a strong psycholo This is a really good book on statistics， as Spiegelhalter's manner of explanation differs a lot from traditional introductory courses， which makes this book both a good introduction in statistics and also recreational reading。 Though for me statistics is still magic， and the following quotes explain， why it is so:1） "[。。。] our "statistical" idea of causation is not strictly deterministic。 When we say X causes Y， we do not mean that every time X occurs ， Y will too。"2） "We have a strong psychological tendency to attribute change to intervention [。。。]" which is famous correlation is not causation。3） "I am often asked why people tend to find probability a difficult and unintuitive idea， and I reply that， after forty years researching and teaching in this area， I have finally concluded that it is because probability really is a difficult and unintuitive idea。" 。。。more
Adrian
，
This book gives a nice conceptual overview over statistics in different domains。 I liked to read it and definitely learned something although I was already familiar with some of the concepts and ideas。
Aniruddha
，
I picked this up thinking it would be a review of stats history， and a light math read like "The Joy of X" or "Godel， Escher， Bach"。 Nope。 It's an extremely heavy book， especially if you try to think hard about the case studies the author has presented。 I really enjoyed reading through it。 Though I'm marking it as 'read'， I still don't feel like I've completely absorbed all the knowledge this book presented， because methinks this is a book I will keep coming back to as I explore more statistics I picked this up thinking it would be a review of stats history， and a light math read like "The Joy of X" or "Godel， Escher， Bach"。 Nope。 It's an extremely heavy book， especially if you try to think hard about the case studies the author has presented。 I really enjoyed reading through it。 Though I'm marking it as 'read'， I still don't feel like I've completely absorbed all the knowledge this book presented， because methinks this is a book I will keep coming back to as I explore more statistics and data science。 。。。more
Graham Clark
，
A clear yet comprehensive guide to statistics， taking a much broader view of the subject from that of a high school maths class。 David Spiegelhalter has made many wonderful contributions to the public understanding of statistics， and this book continues his essential work。
Zahida Zahoor
，
If you have some basic understanding of stats then this book will help you gain more insight into the field。 Some interesting cases are discussed and how stats has played a vital part in the outcome; this includes the Harold Shipman case， claims that alcohol reduced cancer and the probability of who would die on the titanic。 Explanation off the different statistical methods often used along with historical background are also included。I would recommend the book to a college maths student or an u If you have some basic understanding of stats then this book will help you gain more insight into the field。 Some interesting cases are discussed and how stats has played a vital part in the outcome; this includes the Harold Shipman case， claims that alcohol reduced cancer and the probability of who would die on the titanic。 Explanation off the different statistical methods often used along with historical background are also included。I would recommend the book to a college maths student or an undergraduate science student but I do not think it hit the mark for a layperson as some of the more important concepts of statistics were skimmed over and not fully explained。 Spiegelhalter jumped around a lot with the cases， I wished he took one cases as one chapter and went into depth。 The summary at the end of the book was very usefully， as a generally guideline especially if you work with stats in any way。 The most important take away message for me was to really look at the stats carefully， the methodology， the p values and what the report has inferred from the statistical analysis and not take things for face value。 。。。more
Sluggable Joe
，
Schlurp。。。。？
Davidg
，
Over 40 years ago， I was staring a Mathematics degree and， as well as set texts which I wouldn’t understand a word of now， I had books like “How to lie with Statistics”。 They gave an insight into the world of numbers for the less academic reader。 I hoped that this newer book would take me back to those days but would add a modern perspective。In many ways my hopes were fulfilled。 There is a lot more technical and statistical terminology than those earlier books and I can’t say that I understood i Over 40 years ago， I was staring a Mathematics degree and， as well as set texts which I wouldn’t understand a word of now， I had books like “How to lie with Statistics”。 They gave an insight into the world of numbers for the less academic reader。 I hoped that this newer book would take me back to those days but would add a modern perspective。In many ways my hopes were fulfilled。 There is a lot more technical and statistical terminology than those earlier books and I can’t say that I understood it all。 As a former maths student， I would have liked a bit more maths so that I could work out what was going on， but I can see why it wasn’t there。 The final chapters were the most interesting， explaining how statistics are misused and misrepresented， both accidentally and deliberately。 One of the reasons for my struggles is because I read the Kindle version。 Sadly the tables， which are frequently referred to， are usually a little away from the associated text making cross reference tricky and they are often in a very light print and impossible to read， especially when there are multiple lines。 However， a good introduction to the use of statistics as we enter the 2020s and a trip down memory lane。 。。。more
Eugene
，
The book provides an interesting insight into the approaches of statistics。 However， it might be a little too complicated after awhile， and slightly repetitive。 I did learn much stuff from the book nonetheless！
Gotmar
，
Perfect balance between technical and general information about statistics。
Zoe
，
So glad i have read this in my final year of my Mathematics Degree。 Wish that I had come across this earlier in my studies as it would have been a great help to have before going into my Statistics Dissertation however it will still be a great help。 Most definitely my most tab-ed book。
Melanie H
，
Not to reveal my age， but I haven’t been in a math class since the late ‘90s， and as luck would have it， it was a stats class。 However， with all the talk about following the science on mask wearing， eating in restaurants， keeping schools open， etc。 I thought it was time to take myself to task。 Hey， if every other armchair statistician was mouthing off on Facebook， why not take a dive into the stats myself？ And so， I started with Spiegelhalter’s book ‘The Art of Statistics: How to Learn from Data Not to reveal my age， but I haven’t been in a math class since the late ‘90s， and as luck would have it， it was a stats class。 However， with all the talk about following the science on mask wearing， eating in restaurants， keeping schools open， etc。 I thought it was time to take myself to task。 Hey， if every other armchair statistician was mouthing off on Facebook， why not take a dive into the stats myself？ And so， I started with Spiegelhalter’s book ‘The Art of Statistics: How to Learn from Data” to see what I knew about the subject。 Bonus points for its colorful cover。Let’s start with the big surprise， there is no single unifying theory of statistical inference （p。 305）。 Wait， what？ Yes， turns out there are three competing approaches: Fisher， Neyman-Pearson， and Bayesian。 I won’t bore you with the details， and let’s be realistic， I’d have to make some flashcards and get to memorizing before I could explain much about those differences， but let’s just say there are different approaches to drawing conclusions from data。 I’m also happy to report that your average person， myself included， doesn’t understand probability and chance。 Friendly reminder， luck has nothing to do with numbers。 What appeals to me most about the discipline is the idea of transforming our life experiences into data。 That we can draw inferences about general principles from specific examples is fascinating to me， as is the idea of overfitting。 When the algorithms get too complex， we start fitting the noise rather than the signal。 The goal is to find the signal in the noise， not to make the noise louder。 To be honest， I skipped over some of the more complex theoretical sections。 Since I’m not running any research studies or statistical analyses any time soon， I think the world is safe from my armchair interpretations。 If you’re looking to revisit the subject or learn more about it for the first time， this book is a great entry point。 It’s easy to read and filled with engaging real-life examples。 As for my thoughts on what’s safe for the public during the pandemic and when， I’ll defer to the public health experts and epidemiologists。 Because despite my reading and life experiences， I， like most other citizens， do not have the stats skills to look at the bigger picture。 Certainly， I encourage you to read broadly from a variety of academic and popular sources， but let’s not kid ourselves， interpreting data is hard， and is best left to those who understand how to do it at an advanced level， especially when it comes to matters of life and death。 。。。more
Ricardo
，
Pretty interesting， but perhaps too ambitious by trying to cram too much content in one book。 I enjoyed the ethical discussions and how everyone has a role in improving the abuse and/or misuse of statistics。
Celia
，
I started reading this coincidentally before the author became a regular contributor to interviews on Covid statistics。 He spoke at the online Hay Festival and I found him fascinating。 The book is gripping for someone with a genuine interest in Mathematics， although the explanations and information went beyond me at times。 It is not however a book for the casually interested in the way that Tim Harford writes - he is more accessible than David Spiegelhalter。 This is no criticism - horses for cou I started reading this coincidentally before the author became a regular contributor to interviews on Covid statistics。 He spoke at the online Hay Festival and I found him fascinating。 The book is gripping for someone with a genuine interest in Mathematics， although the explanations and information went beyond me at times。 It is not however a book for the casually interested in the way that Tim Harford writes - he is more accessible than David Spiegelhalter。 This is no criticism - horses for courses。 I had a better understanding on statistics at the end than at the beginning and will definitely re-read it soon。 。。。more
Michael Cook
，
This is objectively an excellent book on statistics， statistical analysis， and the importance they play in everyday life。 *But* much like playing pool or arguing with your wife - statistics are much more interesting to do than read about。
Rado Pitonak
，