How to Lie with Statistics
by Darrell Huff, Irving Geis · first published 1954
49% recommend45% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
A short, entertaining, non-technical tour of tricks for misleading with numbers, such as truncated axes, shifting percentage bases and semi-attached figures. Suits general readers who want to spot manipulated statistics.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Both charming and informative about how statistics are misused. Published long ago, but the tricks haven't changed.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2026The cartoon guide to statistics
Larry Gonick
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 1717 recommend · 17 mention17 recommend · 1717 recommend
2021–2026How to Make the World Add Up
Tim Harford
0 recommend · 2 mentioned0 recommend · 2 mention0 recommend · 20 recommend
2010–2023How To Lie With Charts
Gerald Everett Jones
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 31 recommend · 3 mention1 recommend · 31 recommend
2011–2024The Number Devil
Hans Magnus Enzenberger
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 119 recommend · 11 mention9 recommend · 119 recommend
Statistics, A Tool for Social Research
Joseph F. Healey
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2011–2024A tour of the calculus
David Berlinski
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
2008–2022The Mathematical Tourist
Ivars Peterson
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 44 recommend · 4 mention4 recommend · 44 recommend
STROUD:ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS
K. A. Stroud
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
I highly recommend reading "How to Lie with Statistics"[0]. Old but still very relevant. [0] http://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/039...
on “How to Lie with Data Visualization” ↗…for the tendency to see Blacks gunned down by the police. My assumption is this known trend is the driving force behind this piece. I just think this is the wrong way to approach the problem space. How to lie with statistics is an excellent book. I highly recommend it. It is a large factor in my decision to not bother to read this piece too thoroughly.
on “Police Homicides in the United States” ↗Another good curation https://web.ma.utexas.edu/users/mks/statmistakes/StatisticsM... How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics
on “Statistics Done Wrong” ↗…Mathematics? Hogben, Mathematics for the Million Steinhaus, Mathematical Snapshots Ivars Peterson, The Mathematical Tourist Davis and Hersh, The Mathematical Experience Polya, How to Solve It Huff, How to Lie With Statistics McGervey, Probabilities in Everyday Life Raymond Smullyan: The Lady or the Tiger, Alice in Puzzle-Land, others Anything by Martin Gardner. I happen to have picked up Mathematical Magic Show and Mathematical…
on “Ask HN: Good books on mathematics for somebody who's only taken high school math?” ↗…about statistics and decision theory. They might not meet some people's expectations about "non-technology" which usually means no equations and no mathematical reasoning. While not written by Taleb, How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff makes a good introduction for Taleb's books.
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗How to Lie with Statistics is a classic on this: https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/03...
on “How to Call B.S. On Big Data: A Practical Guide” ↗There's an excellent book called How to lie with statistics. It goes into detail about the various ways you can package the same data to support whatever point you want to make. Having read that book more than once, I like to try to dig into the guts of the data,…
on “Life as a Nonviolent Psychopath (2014)” ↗…technology, but it touches on how understanding animals affects the low-tech systems that you use to handle them. For interesting/easy intros to why some math skills are important, look at Darrell Huff's "How to Lie With Statistics" or John Allen Paulos' "Innumeracy" (or "A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper"). I haven't read any of them, but I hear Petroski's books recommended. For a great short read that touches on architectural…
on “Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?” ↗…the Pharmacutical Industry, hurt me on so many levels--I literally feel like crying sometimes. 5. My understanding of statistics is fuzzy. To those that need a refresher, I found two books helpful: How to lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff., and The Comic Book Guide to Statistics--don't know the author.
on “Registered clinical trials make positive findings vanish” ↗A couple of good books: How to lie with statistics (Good intro to concepts, light on actual math) The cartoon guide to statistics (the first chapter or two covers what I learned in my college Intro to Stats class -- the rest is over my head)
on “Ask HN: Learning Statistics?” ↗…https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/08129... [1] http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21588069-scientific-re... [2] Alan Sokal - Beyond the Hoax: Science, Philosophy and Culture https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Hoax-Science-Philosophy-Cultur... [3] How to Lie with Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/03... [4] Nassim Taleb 'Incerto', twitter.com/nntaleb
on “Ask HN: Anyone interested in building tools for showing bias in news?” ↗How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. How much of what you read is really true?
on “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” ↗How to lie with statistics The Cartoon Guide to Statistics (Don't laugh, it's a serious tome. Past chapter 2, it's not introductory level info.)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite statistics and probability textbooks?” ↗There is an excellent book on such things that I highly recommend: How to lie with statistics Problems like this are part of why we have sayings like: Measure twice, cut once. GIGO (Garbage in, garbage out) Some saying about measuring to extreme precision, then "cutting with an axe."
on “What is going on with measures of programming language popularity?” ↗See also the classic book How to Lie with Statistics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics
on “Ways to Lie with Charts (2014)” ↗