How to Lie with Statistics is a book written by Darrell Huff

Darrell Huff

Darrell Huff was an American writer, and is best known as the author of How to Lie with Statistics , the best-selling statistics book of the second half of the twentieth century....

 in 1954 presenting an introduction to statistics

Statistics

Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....

 for the general reader. Huff was a journalist who wrote many "how to" articles as a freelancer, but was not a statistician.

The book is a brief, breezy, illustrated volume outlining common errors, both intentional and unintentional, associated with the interpretation of statistics, and how these errors can lead to inaccurate conclusions. In the 60's and 70's it became a standard textbook introduction to the subject of statistics for many college students. It has become one of the best-selling statistics books in history, with over one and a half million copies sold in the English-language edition, even though the monetary examples have become dated because of inflation

Inflation

In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...

. It has also been widely translated.

Themes of the book include "Correlation does not imply causation

Correlation does not imply causation

"Correlation does not imply causation" is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that correlation between two variables does not automatically imply that one causes the other "Correlation does not imply causation" (related to "ignoring a common cause" and questionable cause) is a...

" and "Using Random Sampling". It also shows how statistical graphs can be used to distort reality, for example by truncating the bottom of a line or bar chart, so that differences seem larger than they are, or by representing one-dimensional quantities on a pictogram by two- or three-dimensional objects to compare their sizes, so that the reader forgets that the images don't scale the same way the quantities do.

The original edition contained humorous illustrations by artist Irving Geis

Irving Geis

Irving Geis was an American artist who worked closely with biologists. Geis's hand-drawn work depicts many structures of biological macromolecules, such as DNA and proteins, including the first crystal structure of sperm whale myoglobin.-Early life and education:Geis was born in New York City,...

. In a UK edition these were replaced with cartoons by Mel Calman

Mel Calman

Melville Calman was a British cartoonist best known for his "little man" cartoons published in British newspapers including the Daily Express , The Sunday Telegraph , The Observer , The Sunday Times and The Times .-Biography:Calman was the youngest of the...

.

See also

• Misuse of statistics
  Misuse of statistics
  A misuse of statistics occurs when a statistical argument asserts a falsehood. In some cases, the misuse may be accidental. In others, it is purposeful and for the gain of the perpetrator. When the statistical reason involved is false or misapplied, this constitutes a statistical fallacy.The false...
  
  
• Lies, damned lies, and statistics
  Lies, damned lies, and statistics
  "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments...
  
  

Sources

• Darrell Huff, (1954) How to Lie with Statistics (illust. I. Geis), Norton, New York, ISBN 0393310728
• Darrell Huff, (1991) How to Lie with Statistics Penguin; New Ed edition, ISBN 0140136290

External links

• Book review at www.mooreds.com
• Book review at plus.maths.org