Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten by Stephen Few- now in its second edition- is filled with 371 pages of analytical goodness. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't own the first edition of Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, which was published in 2004. But I didn't really know who Stephen Few was until I started working with Xcelsius and somebody turned me onto his outstanding dashboards book, which was also recently revised into a second edition.

While the dashboards book, Information Dashboard Design: Displaying Data for At-a-Glance Monitoring, is focused on at-a-glance dashboards, Show Me the Numbers is more broadly focused and goes into extreme depth on both table and graph design. Like the dashboards book, Show Me the Numbers begins by laying a foundation with the science on how our brains perceive visual information, then builds its design principles on that foundation. Mr. Few is widely cited (or disparaged) as "the cranky guy that hates pie charts". But his criticism of pie charts (and other poor visualization practices) is grounded in the science of visual perception, not his personal taste in visualizations.

A 371-page book may sound kind of scary, but it is broken down into fourteen chapters that can be easily digested. Mr. Few's writing style is clear and easy to understand, although if you're like me you'll put the book down at the end of each chapter so you can think. The book is tool agnostic, so even if your primary tool is Microsoft Excel you'll benefit from reading it.

The book is rather large, but it's beautifully designed and constructed with lots of clear illustrations. If I traveled more, I'd probably prefer Kindle edition for portability, but it doesn't exist. Mr. Few's reading style lends itself to a comfortable reading chair and a cup of coffee, so I'm quite satisfied with the print edition. I am finding in my day-to-day work that I am slowly internalizing the wisdom of Show Me the Numbers. But it's still a book that I open while in the middle of a project and one that I'll take the time to read cover-to-cover again.

This book is well written. From the introduction to the closing chapter. I've not completed all the readings, but his other book is consistent. It is a great book. Show me the Numbers is a basic understanding of graphs and how to present them. It's not about the latest trends. It's about showing you what works and how to present that information. In a well thought out manner using information that attracts the brain to pull data from charts, graphs, and tables. And if you think you can write a better book, please do! And invite me to read it. Otherwise, Stephen Few has solid books available on the market. That not only go into the designing elements, but also the psychological side of things and what attracts the readers brain to understanding. It's worth the price.

UPDATE: This book has dropped in price. I purchased it when it was valued at the $48 mark. Now, it's even cheaper. I'm not even complaining about missing out on the lower price. It was a deal then; and now, it's a steal.

Very nicely done book with good examples of data presentation. Helpful section on different ineffective graph styles and how and why to avoid them. Great as a reference and as a source of ongoing inspiration.

Best stats book out there.

Fact based decision making is the norm in business today. However, to drive fact-based decisions, executives need to be able to tell persuasive stories using data. This book is THE go-to resource for designing easy and elegant tables and graphs. It is for business presentations what Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen is to TED Talks and keynotes.

Despite having the heft of a textbook or coffee table book, this book is a fast, fun, and visual read. The author clearly had fun writing it and I appreciated that he expressed strong opinions about the dos and don'ts of business presentation design. All recommendations are supported by compelling before & after graphics.

Finally, I appreciated the author's references to the designers that came before him. He translated the artful Edward Tufte into practical business application and he modernized the McKinsey-esque insights of Gene Zelazny.

If you read the book cover to cover as I did, then you will notice a very small degree of redundancy. However, I suspect most readers will use this as a reference guide in which case those refreshers are extremely helpful.

Stephen Few has a rare talent for explaining apparently opaque concepts in simple terms, but without simplifying the subject. This book starts from the *very* beginning and provides the reader with a solid understanding of the basics of chart design, including when to use a table vs a graph, what types of tables and graphs to use for what kinds of data, and why certain graphical features are more effective than others. Throughout, Few maintains a plain, readable writing style that is never patronizing even when spelling out seemingly obvious points (e.g., use a table if you need to look up a specific value). His patient tone and simple presentation end up guiding you through some unexpectedly sophisticated waters of design almost without your even realizing you've gone anywhere.

In addition to the design coverage, Few covers some (very) basic statisics, how to adjust for inflation, rgb values of a nice selection of colors to use in graphs, how to make box graphs in Excel, and many other workaday details that make the book immediately useful. Most of the charts in the book are made in Excel, showing that you don't need advanced design software to make attractive, clear charts.

The book itself is a beautiful large hardback. This is the source of my one complaint: its large size makes it somewhat difficult to just pop off the shelf and flip through to find something.

If you want to learn how to design good tables and graphs, get it.

I purchased this for a Technical Writing course, and the book manages to explain how tables and graphs are designed. The problem with this book isn't in the information but how the information is communicated. The book fails to break the information down more simply, to the level of plain language. This failure may result in prolonged frustration for many readers.

Few (the author) relies on a certain vocabulary ("quantitative values", "categorical values") that is impenetrable for the new reader. While he explains what everything means early on, things get bad when he uses many difficult terms at once to explain a specific concept. Suddenly, I had to review nearly every word in a sentence to make sure I understood it correctly. And, to be honest, I'm still not sure. I needed to reread difficult paragraphs until their meaning matched with what I was seeing in the accompanying visual examples.

What Few must add in a succeeding edition is sections written such that a child could understand them. That's not something I mean to say to ridicule the author or the text. Writing clearly enough for a child IS the purpose of technical communication at times; some concepts are so difficult to grasp that using "grown-up" language obscures meaning for the reader. It's absolutely critical to use plain language and helpful visualizations in order to imbed these concepts in the reader's mind at the lowest level. It's more work for the author, and it involves understanding his audience's needs a bit better, but it's worth it to help the reader understand the material.

I'm responsible for initial onboarding for Data Scientists in my company. I have been looking for a book to assist with teaching them principles of information presentation. Our company has a bunch of Tufte books and initially, I tried using them - with little success. Tufte is great, but not for teaching principles in a systematic way. Stephen does a great job of presenting the principles behind good information presentation. The exercises he includes in the book are great for promoting discussions. If there's a better book for teaching the basics, please let me know. Until then, this one is working great.

Excelente articulo

Great purchase. If you are starting to get involved with data visualisation and you have no previous or reduced knowlage on data visualisation, this book is for you. It starts from something as basic as describing the type of data you can have till which graphs or tables could be better to communicate these data. However, no matter even if you have an advanced knowlage in data visualisation, this book will help you to understand things you usually do and even you can get a few tips more.

The book is so easy to read. Even the stadistical explanations he provides are simple but accurate, providing the relevant knowledge you require. Also, it is really fun and interesting to read. It could look like a really technical book, but definitely it could be something you can sit in your garden, read and chill.

If you think that you would require a mot advanced book but that approach the same knowlage, his book Now You See It is for you.

Warning: this book is practical form the point of view that you learn to identify the best graphs for specific data, when you should use them, then using a table is preferable, how to use the colours in a graph etc. You develop a critical knowledge to identify if a graph is good or not and how could be improved. However, if you are expecting that he explains you how to do these graphs in excel or in other program, this is not the book you are looking for. Yet, it gives you a recommended reading appendix when you can find what you are looking for depending of your interests.

Il libro è un MUST HAVE per chi ha a che fare con la rappresentazione grafica dei dati e delle informazioni che questi devono fornire.

Few è un maestro nell’impostare il modo di ragionare migliore: poi bisogna comunque soffrí.

Ho anche un altro titolo del Dottor Few è questo qui chiude un ciclo (forse) iniziato per me con molto entusiasmo.

Es muy complciado hacer que la presentaciones de datos númericos sean atractivas para los que la reciben.

Además te da pautas para que las presentaciones numéricas tengan lo necesario, sin aañadir información que no aporta nada

The book was delivered in good condition and in time.

The book gives you very simple tips to better the graphs and tables you design. Though simple, the tips are illuminating. The book is well written with many examples.