Customer Reviews:
Good But Content Diluted, Concept-Elucidation Blurred?.......2007-08-15
Yes it is indeed a sad enterprise when an author--runs out of steam. Begins to repeat; begins to dilute. A near-universal in visual art, also in literature. Mark Twain's early travel books ran dynamic, rich--but then at least one later work slowed to show results of fatigue and the end of inspiration. We can call it an issue of Specific Gravity. What is the amount of material compared to the word-count? One speaks of "op-ed books" today, full-length treatments whose gist and essence could have been presented in, say, 1000 words.
Edward Tufte's invaluable first three books show this proportionate packing with material. Just possibly, this fourth and latest book--shows dilution, watering-down, inappropriate repetition. At least one other reviewer has made this point; I suspect so.
But let's accentuate the positives of Tufte's vision--even if imperfectly presented here. New here (among good stuff such as "sparklines") is the indispensable attempt at explicating universal principles of design. Above the Concrete Particulars, the flux of graphs, charts, pictures, etc., what Conceptual Principles can guide us? And the half-dozen issues he identifies, are helpful.
However, the presentation of them is not. Tufte employs Menard's famous graphic of Napoleon's 1811 Russian campaign to illustrate the principles. However, in terms of sheer Information Elucidation, two errors seem to occur.
First, number of examples. To convey difficult concept, more than one example, illustration, instance is needed. We lack a "rounded ensemble" (in my system's terminology) of several and varied instances to better cinch the point. Example: someone trying to convey the idea of a map as more than just an image of the earth's surface, of presenting knowledge, referenced chromosome maps in genetics, weather maps in meteorology, animal range maps in zoology, magnetic field maps in geology, and wiring diagrams in engineering. [Geographer Peter Gould is even better in elucidating how maps are not terrestrial but conceptual, representing relationships between things. He references "maps" of emotional states of married couples, South Pacific geobotanically, New Zealand "in changing aircost space," intellectual winds blowing through psychology journals, my gosh, world journalism, Shakespeare, influenza...] Bravo, a rounded ensemble cinches the concept with polypod footings. Too bad Tufte fell short here as the multiple instances ploy is actually similar to Tufte's own excellent tactic of "Small Multiples."
Second, comparison/contrast, or rather,Tufte's non-use of this keystone principle of thinking-writing-communicating. Only the excellent Menard graphic is shown; he should have either shown a bad attempt by another of the same subject, or created a "ruined" version also of Menard's, given a flawed example. This dualism for each of his universal principles. One thinks of Tufte's own dictum, statistics always asks, "compared to what?" Or, "He who knows not a foreign country knows nothing of his own." Or, to teach freshmen students good qualities of poetry, give a first draft or inferior poem on the same subject as well as Yeats' excellent final-draft "The Old Pensioner." Or give even a triad: as in, a too-lightly- inked graphic, a just-right density, and then an over-inked graphic.
So much for better elucidation of Key Principles. This is more important than the issue of irrelevant items, such as the issues of introductions and of sculptures. A little charity here; it's hard to exclude one's own enthusiasms. But Convergence to Point is also a principle of good communication.
"At least a quintet [of books] is projected," states Tufte. But let him await the wellspring re-filling itself with Heavy Water, not diluted dew. And please use comparison-contrast and multiple examples to cinch point.
Just incredible........2007-07-18
As always Professor Tufte's work in this area just continues to astound me. I have read- and re-read - the other works and this is arguably the most succinct and tight one yet. It operates equally well from 30,000 feet as it does through a macro lens....very well laid out, beautifully executed and remarkable approachable for a wide range of professionals outside the design and graphics industry.
Tufte B-sides?.......2007-07-01
This fourth book in Tufte's series on visual information resembles a disappointing B-sides/greatest hits collection instead of an essential new work. It includes a full reprint of Tufte's recent PowerPoint pamphlet and frequent discussion of topics from earlier books (for example Minard's chart of Napoleon's march into Russia). The final chapter on Tufte's sculptures seems especially misplaced. New material includes exploration of Sparklines, word-sized graphs interspersed among normal text. In the Graphics Press tradition of superior aesthetics, this book contains richly printed images and text on thick paper.
I'd strongly recommend the previous three books in the series, esp. the first one 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information'. Those who already own those three works can probably skip this new volume.
What was I thinking?.......2007-06-08
If I had gone into a brick and mortar store and thumbed through the pages of this book I would never have purchased it. I'm sorry I just don't get all this artsy type fluff that everyone seems to be so "Tufte-Gong-Ho" about. I was expecting a book from a professional business perspective on insights on how to represent various types of data in the correct visual format. One look at the table of contents gives you the impression that's exactly what this book is. However, when you look at the actual contents, you have pictures and artwork that would never make it in a professional boardroom. The examples are just plain terrible and you would think someone as good as Tufte would be able to represent and communicate concepts in a better format instead of getting nostalgic with historical artwork. Do I really care about David Smith's Cubi XXVI (1965) sculptural volumes! Oh and the slave trade ship pictures on pages 22-23 are a nice touch. Give me a break; I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out what the point of those pictures were in explaining a concept. I just hope I can resell this book and try to recover half the price I paid for it. If you are in corporate America trying to make a living adding value to your company's bottom line, skip this book.
Beautiful Evidence.......2007-05-07
This book should be reviewed by anyone who writes reports or gives presentations. I especially like the author's views on corruption of data and facts.
Amazon.com
The OpenGL Programming Guide, now in its third edition, is the definitive volume for programmers using this evolving graphics interface standard. Written by members of the OpenGL Architecture Review Board, this book offers understandable tutorials and lessons on getting up to speed and getting the most out of the latest version of OpenGL, version 1.2.
The guide uses code examples in C and is targeted at programmers who have experience in coding yet are new to coding for OpenGL applications. The opening chapters go into descriptive detail of how OpenGL, the software interface for hardware 3-D chipsets, works and what you can expect from it, which turns out to be much more than you might have thought. Color plates are used, for example, to show how OpenGL handles such effects as motion blur and depth-of-field blur, in addition to shadows and texture mapping.
This is not a beginner's guide to programming computer graphics. Some previous knowledge of both programming in general and computer graphics in particular is required. For example, code snippets are used to describe how to implement these effects, but because OpenGL is platform-independent, some code examples may need to be modified when used with your specific compiler.
Filled with the expertise of those who standardized OpenGL, there is no better reference volume for learning and understanding this system. The examples cited are clear, commented, and explained. The only drawback to the book is that it lacks a companion CD-ROM--all examples must be either typed in or downloaded from an Internet FTP site. (The URL is listed in the preface.) --Mike Caputo
Book Description
OpenGL is a powerful software interface for graphics hardware that allows graphics programmers to produce high-quality color images of 3D objects. The functions in the OpenGL library enable programmers to build geometric models, view models interactively in 3D space, control color and lighting, manipulate images, and perform such tasks as alpha blending, antialiasing, depth cueing, and texture mapping.
The OpenGL Reference Manual, Second Edition, documents all OpenGL functions, including brand new features recently approved by the OpenGL Architecture Review Board (ARB) for inclusion in OpenGL, Version 1.1. The ARB is an industry consortium responsible for defining OpenGL, composed of such industry leaders as Digital Equipment Corporation, Evans & Sutherland, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, IBM, Intergraph, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics.
Each reference page fully describes: C specifications, relevant parameters, the effects of functions, possible errors generated by functions, associated effects, Reference pages for the OpenGL Utility Library (GLU) and the OpenGL extension to the X Window System (GLX) are included in this manual.
Customer Reviews:
By far the best OpenGL resource available.......2007-08-27
If you're a serious OpenGL programmer like I am, this book is basically a bible. Unlike DirectX, there aren't a ton of decent places to find documentation for OpenGL. I've had to do some pretty complex programming and every single time the "Red Book" helped me accomplish the goal.
Honestly though, I think a lot of this material should be online. This is not a book you read cover to cover. It's something you need if you're having trouble with blending operations in your scene and you need to know more about how OpenGL works (not for novices). I would suggest buying the "Blue Book" along with this (The OpenGL reference manual). The blue book goes over each API call in detail (similar to what you would expect from MSDN).
OpenGL programming guide.......2007-07-19
Recently I had my first experience in programming computer graphics with OpenGL. After considering many sources I would recommend the Official Guide to Learning OpenGL the best option for beginner in the computer graphics area with mathematical background. Besides, book is very helpful for use as a reference during the entire programming process with OpenGL.
It provides the necessary level of detail, not going too deep in underlying mathematical concepts explanations unlike many other books. For anyone interested in more detail each subchapter has "Advanced" section providing in depth explanations. It also contains working sample programs written in C/C++ (which could easily be integrated to other programming languages) being really helpful during learning process.
The complete reading of book not required once started, as after having understanding of how main concepts of OpenGL works, it could be used as search convenient reference manual. One can easily find the subject of interest and gain rather complete understanding of topic after reading corresponding section.
Concise and clear. A must to have on your bookshelf.......2007-05-09
When we migrated from DirectX to OpenGL and from Microsoft to Linux this book was a constant reference during those weeks of hard work. It is concise, clear and documents well OpenGL. You have to know what you are looking for, but... that's the purpose of a reference guide, right?.
Great job on compiling the material !!!!
Gabriel
I've recieved my product without problems........2007-01-13
I've recieved my product without problems. Good book, fast ship. I'm satisfied.
Excellent resource for OpenGL.......2007-01-12
OpenGL isn't a beginner's topic. It is a (seemingly) complex world of graphics processing at the lowest levels. It is not for the timid or mathematically illiterate. This book addresses the topic in a very logical manner. When you know and understand OpenGL, it is easy to understand that some elements of a logical progression do not necessarily make the best sense to a newcomer to the technology. When first embracing OpenGL, there is a relatively steep on-ramp for some kinds of thinkers. So what's new? Everyone thinks a bit differently.
This book will point your thinking in the direction of OpenGL. It takes a very steady, but fundamental course toward that objective. It is not full of fluff, nor does it attempt to overwhelm the uninitiated with superfluous content. It does a really good job at combining elements of the nitty-gritty of OpenGL code with the practices and underlying architecture of the OpenGL system as implemented by the standards-conformant graphics hardware/drivers. It has a very comprehensive expose of the OpenGL pipeline and every reasonable aspect of using OpenGL at the fundamental level and with the GLUT.
My copy of this book is well-worn from countless flippings back-n-forth of pages and chapters as I continue to extract useful information about OpenGL from it. Perhaps it deserves 5 stars, but I have no frame of reference nor am I a gift to OpenGL programmers, so I rate it conservatively at 4.5 stars.
The book reads very easily. It is not wordy or overly terse. It does assume that you've had at least fundamental mathematics representative of college-level computer science majors. Even if your math skills are not so well-developed, this book doesn't try to drown you in such things, rather, it directs you toward the practices of accomplishing OpenGL programming assuming that you will learn that math that is necessary for the work you intend to do. It also assumes that you have strong fundamentals in C programming. It also assumes that you're able to read and comprehend English. I don't find any of these to be worthy of a disclaimer as might another reviewer.
The book is presented very well. I can not say enough how straight-forward and logically it proceeds through the topics necessary to get up-to-speed with OpenGL programming. It reads well, too. That is, you don't necessarily need to be sitting at your computer in order to enjoy elements of this book while learning about OpenGL.
The included examples are well-chosen to illustate the points made during the course of the text where they are found. I had absolutely no problem compiling and executing them on my GNU/Linux-based system using Mesa and GCC.
I would suggest that you plan to spend some quality time with this book if you're serious about learning OpenGL. Some of the topics take more than a brief reading to fully sink-in...at least they did for me! There are a few sections that I spent several hours on and re-read several times, which I credit to the technical-aspects of the content rather than reduce to an "issue" with the authors' presentation skills. OpenGL isn't going to be easy if you're relatively new to 2D and 3D programming. It is probably an "advanced" topic for all but the most severe.
The book is thoroughly enjoyable and when completed and you're banging away OpenGL code with style and grace, there is a notable sense of accomplishment. I had a lot of fun dissecting this book until my brain finally decided to learn its contents.
Average customer rating:
- Amazing book for information design
- An Obsolete Glance At A Classic Problem
- one of three or four
- A wonderful book!
- An outstanding addition to my library
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The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd edition
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Beautiful Evidence
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The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within, Second Edition
ASIN: 0961392118 |
Amazon.com
A remarkable range of examples for the idea of visual thinking, with beautifully printed pages. A real treat for all who reason and learn by means of images. -- Rudolf Arnheim
Customer Reviews:
Amazing book for information design.......2007-07-15
I am the type of person who dabbles in all kinds of design, and I think of the ideal designer as one who knows a little about everything. Designers design ways of output, whether it be lemon juice from a lemon or ways to fit all vital components in a laptop in the most efficient way. This book is about the output of information from our multidimensional world to the flat paper space, and he does it brilliantly.
It's even worth mentioning the book itself as a good piece of design. All the images are vivid, the pages feel crisp and durable, even the color of the pages I bet was an attention of detail (it's slightly offwhite, but in an extremely good way). It's like good ol' fashioned timeless design.
He covers the subject wide and far, dips into everything from visual illusions to hardcore information displays. Sometimes you wonder where the heck he gets all these wonderful images, they span from the stoneage till today and show the vast variety of ways to display information, both simple and complex.
It is a beautiful book and an absolute must for people interested in the design of information. Actually, I'd say it's a must for anyone interested in information at all, be it for powerpoint or for magazine layout. This will be one of the most intelligent books on my shelf.
An Obsolete Glance At A Classic Problem.......2007-06-28
This is a short book, 126 pages. An interesting cursory exploration of the subject. However, it feels like it predates information technology (1990 predates the web by 5 years), and seems to have more in common with how to communicate elements of a hand-drawn map atlas if you were living in the 1700s than it has with using Adobe Illustrator to convey an idea for the web. I bought this book to see if it would help me as a web developer, and instead when it arrived I realized I got a weird coffee table book that feels like it was written in the 1960s, at the latest, to summarize that you can use different icons or pictographs of small size to communicate important ideas without words. (Sorry, I already gave away the story of the book.)
I know this review isn't going to get very popular marks, but, put simply, this book is probably good for professional or student pure designers, but it's useless for me. I honestly don't think the book targets web designers, but somebody here reviewed that it was "great" for web designers, so because of that remark I bought it. Sorry, but I don't see the applicability. But then, I only skimmed over the book before I put it back on Amazon Marketplace.
While one should normally never judge a book by its cover, in this case I think you should.
one of three or four.......2007-01-10
this is part of a series from tufte. he uses examples to describe techniques of visualization. if you do presentations to others or write reports that present complex data, several of his books should be in your library.
A wonderful book!.......2006-11-04
No designer should be without this book. I especially enjoy the historical accounts of information design. Of course hind sight is 20/20 so his redesigns seem obvious from our perspective.
An outstanding addition to my library.......2006-06-23
An outstanding addition to my library, Edward systematically explores the presentation of data showing the value of data rich content when it is properly displayed. After reading half the book, I couldn't sit through a presentation without coming up with at least 3 ways to improve it. The illustrations in the book are beautifully rendered and cover a diverse set of subject matter each as interesting as the next. The only topic concerning this book that I struggled with is whether or not to mark it up. In the end, as I do with all of my books I intend to refer back to, I did.
Average customer rating:
- Essential for anyone working with charts and graphs
- Good ideas, nice layout, kinda rambling though
- Fascinating. Quick. Friendly for the non-expert
- An absolutely superb book.
- Glad I contributed to the author's royalties...
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Envisioning Information
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Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
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Beautiful Evidence
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Visual & Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Decision Making
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The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within, Second Edition
ASIN: 096139210X |
Amazon.com
A timeless classic in how complex information should be presented graphically. The Strunk & White of visual design. Should occupy a place of honor--within arm's reach--of everyone attempting to understand or depict numerical data graphically. The design of the book is an exemplar of the principles it espouses: elegant typography and layout, and seamless integration of lucid text and perfectly chosen graphical examples. Very Highly Recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Essential for anyone working with charts and graphs.......2007-03-10
This book fuses mathematical information with art to tell the underlying story and get your message across to the viewer. I would reccommend it to anyone responsible for conveying objective information to others.
Good ideas, nice layout, kinda rambling though.......2007-03-08
This book was very nicely laid out, and the ideas for presenting were good. Sometimes it was a little hard to follow because it rambled a little. But I did get some good pointers that I can use to visualize my data.
Fascinating. Quick. Friendly for the non-expert.......2007-01-09
The book strikes a good balance between major concepts and academic nitty-gritty.
An absolutely superb book........2006-11-23
Tufte presents an examination of a frankly under-esteemed method of data analysis that can be accurately described as passionate. As a Behavioural Scientist trained in sophisticated methods of statistical analysis, I previously was arrogantly inclined to regard charts and graphs as simplistic and naive approaches to data interpretation. However, I now apprehend the undeniable utility of graphical representation, and have acquired a fascination with the field through Tufte's contagious enthusiasm.
If you work with data of any form, it is IMPERATIVE that you read this book.
Glad I contributed to the author's royalties..........2006-11-10
An interesting and well presented book, but very specialized.
Customer Reviews:
Finally !!.......2007-06-06
Great Book !!...no nonsense, step by step guide that uses conventional drafting methods and reference diagrams to explain what you NEED to know with out all of the ultra technical junk found in most CAD text. It provides the reader with the information needed to work in a REAL office in the REAL world.
The Must-Have Desk Accessory.......2007-06-05
Whether you're still in school or out in the work force, this book is a must-have resource for designers who may need a refresher course in CAD from time to time. The easy-to-read graphics, thorough index and step-by-step instructions allow both experienced users and/or newcomers to navigate successfully through the CAD program.
Excellent Getting Started Book.......2007-06-01
AutoCAD is clearly the industry standard computer aided design software. If you type AutoCad into the search engine at Amazon you get 4,306 books about it. How do you possibly pick one out of this many. Or perhaps a better question is why pick this one.
First, this book is specifically oriented to architects and interior designers. That's what the examples show, that's the terminology used. You are not looking at gears or airplane wings.
Second, this book is aimed at the beginner. It starts with comparing AutoCad to conventional paper and T-Square drafting. It compares AutoCAD commands to common drafting implements like a pencil or compass.
Third, it is rather independent of the AutoCAD version. The concepts being taught here are the basic ones, so you can use the book with whatever version you have.
Fourth, it is a very visually oriented book. It has you quickly working on drawings, showing you in illustrations what you should be seeing on the screen.
Fifth, as a basis for starting your drawings the companion web site for the book has perhaps as much information as is contained in the book.
Conclusion. This is an excellent book to use to get started with AutoCAD, especially for architects and interior designers.
Finally, an AutoCAD book that is written for designers.......2007-04-08
Clear illustrations and easy to follow step-by-step instructions make it easy to master AutoCAD commands with this book. Often, a single page covers an entire command (in words and illustrations) which makes it easy to learn the first time or refresh my memory.
I'm glad I found an AutoCAD book that does not require me to be a programmer to learn this software. I'll keep this one next to my computer for quick reference.
An Indispensable Resource.......2007-04-02
Digital Drawing for Designers is an excellent resource for students and professionals alike. Seidler's generous use of graphics coupled with concise and easy-to-read text make mastering AutoCad easy, boiling down what can be a difficult program into practical lessons that address the needs of designers at every level.
Book Description
The new student edition of the definitive reference on urban planning and design
Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition is the authoritative and reliable volume designed to teach students best practices and guidelines for urban planning and design.
Edited from the main volume to meet the serious student's needs, this Student Edition is packed with more than 1,400 informative illustrations and includes the latest rules of thumb for designing and evaluating any land-use scheme--from street plantings to new subdivisions. Students find real help understanding all the practical information on the physical aspects of planning and urban design they are required to know, including:
* Plans and plan making
* Environmental planning and management
* Building types
* Transportation
* Utilities
* Parks and open space, farming, and forestry
* Places and districts
* Design considerations
* Projections and demand analysis
* Impact assessment
* Mapping
* Legal foundations
* Growth management preservation, conservation, and reuse
* Economic and real estate development
Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition provides essential specification and detailing information for various types of plans, environmental factors and hazards, building types, transportation planning, and mapping and GIS. In addition, expert advice guides readers on practical and graphical skills, such as mapping, plan types, and transportation planning.
Customer Reviews:
A public sector must-have resource.......2007-04-07
An excellent resource for anyone involved in public sector land-use planning. Contains great detail on many different subjects. Good illustrations throughout. Not the best resource for site planning, though.
Book Description
Join the revolution ignited by the ground-breaking R system! Starting with an introduction to R, covering standard regression methods, then presenting more advanced topics, this book guides users through the practical and powerful tools that the R system provides. The emphasis is on hands-on analysis, graphical display and interpretation of data. The many worked examples, taken from real-world research, are accompanied by commentary on what is done and why. A website provides computer code and data sets, allowing readers to reproduce all analyses. Updates and solutions to selected exercises are also available. Assuming only basic statistical knowledge, the book is ideal for research scientists, final-year undergraduate or graduate level students of applied statistics, and practising statisticians. It is both for learning and for reference. This revised edition reflects changes in R since 2003 and has new material on survival analysis, random coefficient models, and the handling of high-dimensional data.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2007-08-04
Very good book for beginners and experienced users. Good presentation, hard cover, wide content...an outstanding book.
Comprehensive and Comprehensible.......2007-03-14
I am using this book as my main resource to learn R from scratch. I had no prior experience with the program. The text is easy to read, and gives you just enough statistical theory to understand the operations without weighing you down with overly-difficult concepts. Many useful 'references for further reading' are scattered throughout if you want to know more about any particular method or operation. The book has an accompanying website with examples of code used for all the figures in the book, solutions to selected exercises, and other helpful things. Advanced topics/sections are marked with an asterisk, indicating that a first-time reader may skip over them until a later date. Overall, the book is very explicit about the code used for all the examples, allowing for easy adaptation to the users' purposes. The exercises at the end of every chapter can be quite challenging, as they often build on concepts presented in the chapter rather than simply reviewing the material. The index is very good (there is one for terms and one for R symbols and functions). Overall, the book is pretty user-friendly for a novice like me, and it covers a broad range of methods of data analysis.
tailored for a select field of individuals.......2007-01-20
The title gives a comprehensive concept of the book content. Data Analysis and Graphics Using R (emphasize 'R' !!!). Nothing less and really nothing more, although I would add "Introduction to" at the beginning of the title. This book is intended for someone with little/no background in data analysis or R. This book is meant to fill the gap of researchers who do not know statistics terribly well, but want to do some of their own statistics and only do those stats in R. Others wanting an survey of data analysis topics may also benefit to some degree from this book.
Book Features (may be a pro/con, depending on your perspective):
-starts with a very basic intro to R; absolutely no knowledge is assumed
-basic (not as thorough as I would have liked) intro to data analysis
-basic intro to data analysis (focuses more on implementation in R than theory)
-minimal stats background required (1-2 courses in stats)
Pros:
-good/solid introduction to R linear models and R graphics; if you want to learn about R graphics and also dabble in basic data analysis, this book will likely fit your need
Cons:
-VERY wordy
-takes awhile to get to the point (sometimes starts with a long example -- just say what the model is and then give the example, not vice versa which makes it hard to find substance)
-does not typically go into great depth of methods (slightly more than a survey of topics)
-instead of addressing topics in a single location, things seem to be more scattered in the book
-may create an R user who cannot use R's help adequately; a lot of this book is spoon-feeding commands and focuses less on making the reader figure out how to use R in new realms or really understanding concepts
As mentioned above, this book is VERY wordy. I generally expect books to explain things clearly and concisely. There is nothing concise about this book. Where 1-2 lines are needed, there are 4-5. Also, this book is more breadth than depth. IMO, this book needs a good editor or someone to rewrite things in a concise format, which would allow for a little more complexity as well.
limited review..........2006-04-05
I found this book to be quite useful for learning R, and for pointing out the pitfalls for new users. It's especially good to know that there is a website associated with the book that will allow you to download the code used in the book.
There are several good free R resources out there, but in the end I think you get what you pay for. In this case it was nice to have a hard-bound reference with an index and appendix that I could highlight and dog-ear.
I mostly used it as a book for learning R, and not as a stats book. I did notice that there were many good examples of common statistical applications, such as t-stat tests, residual plotting, and the like. In other words, I feel like I got my money's worth by just using a few chapters and the appendix.
Good both for reference and for learning R.......2006-03-29
This is a great book for people under pressure (I'm a first-year biostat grad student, so I know whereof I speak) who want to get into doing serious data analysis quickly using R. It's also a good reference once you know the language better. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that the organization is a little confusing, particularly when you're trying to find sample code to produce a particular figure or analysis -- overall, though, I think it's the best R-specific book out there for the general user.
Average customer rating:
- Many good examples of illustrations
- What a gem - but not your first design book
- Not a text book but a knowledgeable friend
- A must-read for anybody with something to tell
- Explaining Quality Visual Information
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Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
Edward R. Tufte
Manufacturer: Graphics Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Envisioning Information
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The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd edition
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Beautiful Evidence
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Visual & Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Decision Making
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The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within, Second Edition
ASIN: 0961392126 |
Amazon.com
With Visual Explanations, Edward R. Tufte adds a third volume to his indispensable series on information display. The first, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, which focuses on charts and graphs that display numerical information, virtually defined the field. The second, Envisioning Information, explores similar territory but with an emphasis on maps and cartography. Visual Explanations centers on dynamic data--information that changes over time. (Tufte has described the three books as being about, respectively, "pictures of numbers, pictures of nouns, and pictures of verbs.")
Like its predecessors, Visual Explanations is both intellectually stimulating and beautiful to behold. Tufte, a self-publisher, takes extraordinary pains with design and production. The book ranges through a variety of topics, including the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger (which could have been prevented, Tufte argues, by better information display on the part of the rocket's engineers), magic tricks, a cholera epidemic in 19th-century London, and the principle of using "the smallest effective difference" to display distinctions in data. Throughout, Tufte presents ideas with crystalline clarity and illustrates them in exquisitely rendered samples.
Customer Reviews:
Many good examples of illustrations.......2007-08-20
Many excellent examples on conveying many types of quantitative data across a wide variety of subjects. The only problem is that, to create most of these, one must be a graphic artist. If one needs to convey highly technical quantitative information, especially to layman, this gives the reader a good idea/perspective of how to explain to graphic artists hired along what general lines an illustration should be made.
What a gem - but not your first design book.......2007-02-15
Tufte's series on visualization will surely go down as classics. He's readable, he's right, and he's engaging.
The only thing is, as pretty and as well-founded the book is in certain principles, it's my opinion that... that the average reader doesn't understand design problems enough that this book will present anything new.
Meaning, the book is so intuitive, that, it seems pointless anyone would ever have to write a beautiful book like this -- *UNLESS* you have been stymied over and over again by mudglobs of creative ad hoc-kery and ad-hoc functionality, or, if you have been victimized by the unfunctional sheen of superglossy animated 3-d search engines (data visualizations, etc).
Here's maybe the test -- if the price tag of this book seems excessive, you haven't been slogging through enough terrible textbooks to see what a light and airy gem of fresh... >sigh
< air this book is.
Otherwise - buy the Tufte series all at once, and see if you can't save bucks on the group discount.
Not a text book but a knowledgeable friend.......2005-08-28
Visual Explanations is not a usual book. It is like a knowledgeable friend walking with you through a museum: pointing out good design and bad ideas; linking various domains (graphic design, usability, psychology) together. You learn things slowly, almost by symbiosis. Visual Explanations will be enchanting for people who have the time to read it in that way. It will be frustrating for people looking for a practical guide: This is not a textbook. The book itself is beautifully produced.
Topics covered include: clarity and purpose of information, color scheme choice, and composition of images.
A must-read for anybody with something to tell.......2005-07-25
In this book, an expert of visual explanations uses visual explanations to tell us his ideas how to use visual cues to explain concepts, quantities, timelines etc. Tufte, with his eternal self-confidence and succinct prose gives good examples and shows how a good image can be better; gives bad examples and has no hesitation to call something (even authorities' products) 'ghastly' or 'nightmare'. I think this book is a must for anybody who wants to use visual cues and examples for the ideas they want to convey. That is, everybody, in this time and age of information.
Explaining Quality Visual Information.......2004-09-26
Edward Tufte's book "Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative" is a 157 page exercise in critical thinking. The author discusses and analyzes visual information, pointing out flaws and strengths of various visual depictions. One becomes more aware of visual information and what constitutes ideal pictorial information.
"Visual Explanations" covers the topics of images and quantities, displaying evidence, pictorial instructions and disinformation, the smallest visual effective difference, repetition and change, multiples, and visual confections. Although the book has little to do with charts and graphs, reading the book makes one aware of all visual information and its ideal presentation. Anyone that works with or uses charts, illustrations, and any visual data will probably find this book useful. The book is richly illustrated with examples.
This book would be great for people that use statistics in their work or make presentations. It teaches people to be a critical thinkers concerning visual information and presentation. Even if you do not agree with Tufte, "Visual Explanations" will make you think about things you otherwise might not have.
Book Description
This book complies with ANSI standards and teaches technical drawing using AutoCAD as its drawing instrument. Taking a step-by-step approach, it encourages users to work at their own pace and uses sample problems and illustrations to guide them through the powerful features of this drawing program. Unique to this book, over 140 exercise problems are included to provide users with an opportunity to develop their creativity and problem-solving capabilities.
Provides users with the latest information on dynamic blocks, user interface improvements and productivity enhancements of the 2006 upgrade. Discusses drawing conventions and practices as related to national standards. Provides complete information on how to use the Dimension and Tolerance commands. Supports the step-by-step approach by illustrating how to use AutoCAD 2006 and its features to solve various design problems.
Professionals in the field and those new to AutoCAD.
Book Description
Adobe software has always been highly respected for creative design and development. Its programs allow you to produce amazing designs and creations with ease, and with the release of the Adobe Creative Suite 2, you can design a wide range of productions ranging from illustrations and Web sites to professional documents and photographic manipulations.
Adobe Creative Suite 2 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies is your one-stop guide to creating great graphics with all the cool CS2 tools. Written in a thorough, fun way to show you the basics on how to use each of the programs, you’ll find out just how easy it is to start designing brilliant images and graphics. This guide gives you the tools you need to:
- Draw with InDesign
- Understand page layout and color
- Create colorful images with Illustrator C2
- Use the pen tool, type, and image placing
- Choose the correct Photoshop mode for your creation
- Create images on PhotoShop CS2 for print
- Paint and retouch images
- Create and secure PDF files with Acrobat 7.0
- Edit and extract text and graphics
- Build and publish a Web site with GoLive CS2
- Work with multimedia
Packed with easy-to-follow steps and guidance, you’ll be up to speed with all the features in no time. With these six great reference guides rolled into one, this is the ultimate book for becoming a CS2 pro!
Download Description
6 books in 1-your key to success with CS2! Your one-stop guide to creating great graphics with all the cool CS2 tools They all work together, and now you have one guide to help you work with each of them! First, you'll get the ""big picture"" tour of the suite. Then you'll be ready to create perfect pages with InDesign, illustrate them with Illustrator, add images you've edited with Photoshop, make PDFs with Acrobat, and design dynamite Web sites with GoLive. Discover how to * Use common menus, palettes, and plug-ins * Design Web pages and print publications * Create illustrations and add type * Retouch, enhance, and reshape photos * Save Photoshop images for print or the Web
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-03-15
I needed this. Before spending hundreds of dollars on software and classes to learn the software. Get this book! It really helps you learn what each Adobe product can do.
Not really for beginners.......2006-09-04
I was a bit disappointed with this book. I followed many of the instructions to the tee as best as I could understand the "language" and it was difficult to follow. Not to mention, you had best know where all the tools are before embarking on the lessons. I can see this becoming a great reference book as I become more developed with CS2, but for a beginner I would not recommend it.
Common sense introduction to the software.......2006-08-25
I bought this book to supplement the textbook I am using for a class in Adobe Illustrator. Personally I think this book should replace that confusing manual. Like mathematics textbooks, most software instructional materials make the same errors. They assume that the reader already has a foundational knowledge of the subject, they fail to describe techniques in a true step by step fashion, and they subtitute jargon for plain English.
This volume, like so many in the Dummies series, does a good job of assuming that the reader is a raw beginner and meeting him/her at that level, leading them through the basic knowledge of the skill or topic in a laid-back, understandable way.
This is especially helpful to those of us too old to have grown up with computers (I graduated high school in '84, just as the Apple 2E was coming out - what a machine! Dot Matrix term papers and endless games of "Pong")! Bravo to the authors and to the entire Dummies team. Highly recommended!
Mostly satisfied- despite dissapointing performance by Amazon........2006-06-06
First things first: This Ebook is not compatible with any handheld device. After many a wasted hour trying to get the ebook to work on a Palm, I called the publisher, who informed me that PDA features were blocked on this book. It took me several emails to finally get Amazon to acknowledge that the book was not "Handheld Compatible". Months later they still have not corrected the website, so I am left to assume they really don't care.
Part two: Why I did not demand a refund.
This is a reasonably informative book, with lots of good tips. The ebook format works well, and looks good on my Mac. Also, the ebook format is ideal for a computer manual, because you can jump back and forth between creative suite and the ebook, easily practicing what you learn.
This book has its shortcomings. There are some important topics that the book does not even mention. (like pathfinder and compound shapes in illustrator) Also sometimes the authors need to be a little more consistent in the names they use for tools and menus.
The book is good for discovering new things you did not know existed. I picked up many valuable hints I would not even have thought to look for. As a topic by topic reference however, the built in help that adobe supplies when you purchase creative suite is far superior to this book.
An Overall View of the Whole Package.......2005-10-19
This book is billed by the publisher as being '6 Books In 1.' At 768 pages, it's a big book. As you might expect, inside it is broken down into six books, one each on:
Adobe Creative Suite 2 Basics
InDesign CS2
Illustrator CS2
Photoshop CS2
Acrobat 7.0 (What happened to the CS2), and
GoLive CS2
As is common with the 'For Dummies' books, each of these independent books are in tutorial format. That is, they start with the installation and then do a series of 'do this', now 'do that,' commands. This is combined with a pretty good indexing system so that if you want to go back and look something up, you can. This makes the book useful as a reference later on.
Five of these books I'd say are entirely adequate. Book IV, on Photoshop, I'd say is a bit weak. That 'book' is about the same length as the other books in this volume. But the Photoshop software is so much bigger, so much more complex that I think you only get your toes wet in this volume.
My suggestion is that if you are going to use the whole Creative Suite 2 package that you get this book and then another one on Photoshop alone. And since I like the 'For Dummies' books, I'd probably get 'Photoshop CS2 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies' to go along with this book.
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