resources
great stuff from other people.
I've tried to generally group these by main theme I'd recommend them for, but a lot of these over lap.
I'm aware this is a very long list, so, if you only have time for one book, grab the ones with the stars! (But note: theres nothing on here I would not whole-heartedly recommend for one purpose or another.)
narratives & storytelling
Houston, We Have a Narrative
by: Randy Olson (2015)
Written by a guy who got a PhD in microbiology, got tired of scientists muddying their messages, then went to USC to launch a career as a filmmaker. Olson explains how Hollywood filmwriters structure story ("And, but, therefore" vs how the usual data communication stories go ("and, and, and").
This is a fantastic book to understand story structure in a very accessible yet complete way.
This is one of my favorite books on the subject, and I go back to the teachings from it in nearly every presentaiotn I deliver.
data vizualization
Cedric Scherer - Data Visualization & Information Design
by: Cedric Scherer (2024)
An absolutely brilliant website to visit for inspiration as well as fantastic tutorials (usually in the R) on how he built some truly gorgeous data visualizations.
Sidenote: if you have the opportunity to take a workshop or class from Cedric, jump at the chance! He's a wonderful teacher and collaborator.
The Art of Insight: How Great Visualization Designers Think
by: Alberto Cairo (2023)
Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals
by: Johnathan Schwabish (2021)
Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals
by: Cole Nessbaumer-Knaflic (2015)
A fantastic beginner and intermediate introduction to how to structure core business charts and graphs, and how to layer information to make sure you've got both the 'bottom-line-up-front' crowd as well as a the 'i-need-all-the-details' crowd.
If I have to pick one book to give to someone new to data viz, or someone who is (finally) moving beyond the default Excel charts, this is the book I point them at.
The Big Picture: How to Use Data Visualization to Make Better Decisions―Faster
by: Steve Wexler (2021)
design
The Design of Everyday Things
by: Don Norman (2013)
A great book about how design is not just to make things "beautiful", but in their beauty, products become easier to use, more enjoyable to use, and more likely to be used.
Norman discusses how cognitive psychology can be used to improve product design, and these lessons are very easily extrapolated to the design of dashboards, reports, data visualizations, and even data-entry workflows.
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
by: Simon Garfield (2012)
math (popular press)
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World
by: Matt Parker (2020)
The best way to learn something new is to learn from the mistakes of others. And boy do we make mistakes.
Parker has stories about mistakes and mishaps in arenas like timekeeping, big data, aerospace, the Olympics, the Roman Empire, and why Excel breaks stuff.
Just a fun and easy read for math nerds, non-math nerds and non-nerds alike. (It also makes me feel a little better about my mistakes!).
The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy
by: Sharon Bertsch McGrayne (2012)
Love Triangle: How Trigonometry Shapes the World
by: Matt Parker (2024)
Math, but in a fun way. Written by the guy that hosts the Stand Up Maths YouTube channel, a fun romp through the ways that trigonometry impacts our every day lives. Another great book in the pile of answers to "why do I need to learn math?"
It does get a tiny bit "mathy" (there are diagrams and equations sometimes - like the ones that help you get better at pool), so this one might not be for the younger kids. Check out Matt Parker's book "Humble Pie" for the one step less "mathy".
ai and machine learning
Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms
by: Hannah Fry (2018)
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
by: Brian Christian (2020)
learning & cognitive science
Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies
by: Linda Adler-Kassner & Elizabeth Wardle (2015)
This book explores key ideas about writing that are essential for anyone who wants to understand how writing works, especially in an academic context, but it is easily extrapolated to other writing as well. The book is organized around the idea of "threshold concepts," which are like big, fundamental ideas you need to "get" before you can fully grasp a subject.
This one is a bit more esoteric, but is a fantastic raed for those who want to dig a little deeper on the idea of truly crafting the written word.
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
by: Maryanne Wolf (2008)
history
The Flawed Genius of William Playfair: The Story of the Father of Statistical Graphics
by: David R. Bellhouse (2023)