The Art of Statistics

“A book that crams in so much statistical information and nonetheless remains lucid and readable is highly improbable, and yet here it is. In an age of scientific clickbait, ‘big data’ and personalised medicine, this is a book that nearly everyone would benefit from reading”–Stuart Ritchie, The Spectator“A call to arms for greater societal data literacy…. Spiegelhalter’s work serves as a reminder that there are passionate, self-aware statisticians who can argue eloquently that their discipline is needed now more than ever.”–Financial Times“An important and comprehensive new book”–Hannah Fry, The New Yorker“David Spiegelhalter’s The Art of Statistics shines a light on how we can use the ever-growing deluge of data to improve our understanding of the world…. The Art of Statistics will serve students well. And it will be a boon for journalists eager to use statistics responsibly – along with anyone who wants to approach research and its reportage with healthy skepticism.”–Evelyn Lamb, Nature“What David Spiegelhalter does here is provide a very thorough introductory grounding in statistics without making use of mathematical formulae. And it’s remarkable. Spiegelhalter is warm and encouraging – it’s a genuinely enjoyable read…. This book should be required reading for all politicians, journalists, medics and anyone who tries to influence people (or is influenced) by statistics. A tour de force.”–Popular Science

David Spiegelhalter is a British statistician and chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. In 2014 he was knighted for his services to statistics, and from 2017 to 2018 he served as president of the Royal Statistical Society. He lives in the United Kingdom.