Naked Statistics

“Sparkling and intensely readable…A riff on basic statistics that is neither textbook nor essay but a happy amalgam of the two.” – New York Times“Naked Statistics is an apt title. Charles Wheelan strips away the superfluous outer garments and exposes the underlying beauty of the subject in a way that everyone can appreciate.” – Hal Varian, chief economist at Google”[Wheelan] does something unique here: he makes statistics interesting and fun. His book strips the subject of its complexity to expose the sexy stuff underneath.” – The Economist“Almost anyone interested in sports, politics, business, and the myriad of other areas in which statistics rule the roost today will benefit from this highly readable, on target, and important book.” – Frank Newport, Gallup editor-in-chief“A fun, engaging book that shows why statistics is a vital tool for anyone who wants to understand the modern world.” – Jacob J. Goldstein, NPR’s Planet Money“Two phrases you don’t often see together: ‘statistics primer’ and ‘rollicking good time.’ Until Charlie Wheelan got to it, that is. This book explains the way statistical ideas can help you understand much of everyday life.” – Austan Goolsbee, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers“A well written, surprisingly funny, and enthusiastic primer on statistics…It is hard to imagine a more accessible introduction to a field with an undeserved reputation for inaccessibility.” – New Republic“With humor and an engaging conversational style, [Wheelan] walks the reader through the basics of statistical concepts and their applications, using real-world examples to illustrate how statistics work and why they matter. All in all, it’s an excellent book.” – Science News“Naked Statistics is the book that I wish I had in 1991, the year that I took stats during my first semester at grad school…Wheelan is a master of explaining the core concepts and methods of statistics in a way that is both accessible and relevant. He is clearly a master teacher, and his gifts are in abundant display in Naked Statistics.” – Inside Higher Ed

Charles Wheelan is the author of the best-selling Naked Statistics and Naked Economics and is a former correspondent for the Economist. He teaches public policy at Dartmouth College and lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, with his family.