How to Lie with Statistics

By: Darrell Huff

Narrated by: Bryan DePuy

Length: 3 hrs

Publisher's summary

Now available in audio for the first time!

Darrell Huff's celebrated classic How to Lie With Statistics is a straightforward and engaging guide to understanding the manipulation and misrepresentation of information that could be lurking behind every graph, chart, and infographic. Originally published in 1954, it remains as relevant and necessary as ever in our digital world, where information is king - and as easy to distort and manipulate as it is to access.

A precursor to modern popular science books like Steven D. Levitt's Freakonomics and Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic; probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, and the way the results are derived from the figures; and points up the countless number of dodges that are used to full rather than to inform. Critically acclaimed by media outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and recommended by Bill Gates as a perfect beach listen, How to Lie With Statistics stands as the go-to book for understanding the use of statistics by teachers and leaders everywhere.

©1954 Estate of Darrell Huff (P)2016 Audiobooks.com Publishing

Critic reviews

"A hilarious exploration of mathematical mendacity.... Every time you pick it up, what happens? Bang goes another illusion!" ( The New York Times)

"In one short take after another, Huff picks apart the ways in which marketers use statistics, charts, graphics and other ways of presenting numbers to baffle and trick the public. The chapter 'How to Talk Back to a Statistic' is a brilliant step-by-step guide to figuring out how someone is trying to deceive you with data." ( The Wall Street Journal)

"A great introduction to the use of statistics, and a great refresher for anyone who's already well versed in it." (Bill Gates)

Written in 1954!

The world has not changed much! Statistics require extensive probing by the listener if the listener allows it to support the presenters position. Should be required.to listen to or read in high school!

nothing is new under the sun.

If I read/heard this book 3 years I wouldn't have gotten the Vax. this is a very good book.

Great book!

As a public employee with a lot of exposure to evidence based interventions, this book is a must read / listen to.

Fantastic and Enlightening

Everyone should read / listen to this book. Knowledge is power...This book has it in spades.

No longer deceived

This book is very useful to the business minded and those continuously expanding their awareness of self and their surroundings.

What I like about the book is that it's a treasure trove of great information that can be applied to real life. Older books tend to be a little more bearable, in my opinion, because they are free of the fallacy of having to read out website links like most book made after the year 2000.

My only dislike stems from my replaying of certain parts because it's filled with so much statistical information that if you miss a number, you can't deduce the point he was trying to convey. This wouldn't be a problem for someone who is listening at home doing nothing. But for most audible listeners who must likely are driving or doing something else, It's very hard to focus on those parts.

Overall I give it a 4.7.

EVERYTHING IVE TOLD IS A LIE

great book very eye opening as to the manipulation that's involved in number interpretation. I'll never look at another news article or statistics the same

Dated

It’s a good book for like a high schooler or freshmen in college. But it’s pretty dated and needs an update.

Dated but valid!

(As posted in GoodReads)
This book pointed out some extremely important observations about statistics and their use in society. The book itself is quite old – 1950s, and it really could stand to be rewritten with more modern examples: the idea of $15,000 a year being a huge salary and about $4 a week being sufficient for survival is ludicrous! Even still, pointing out the importance of sample size, consistent graphs, complete definitions of "average", etc. is definitely a good reminder at least! The examples may be dated, but they still succeed in exhibiting the great lies and misrepresentations that are possible – and practiced – by advertisers, science, and the news! Little in the book was previously unknown to me, but it was good to have it all condensed in one book. I still wouldn't mind if it were rewritten with more modern times in mind.

Timely For 2020 If Not Timeless in Essential Value

Having listened to a handful of books during my 45 minute work commute over the last few years, I can say that one of the most helpful books (in an immediate, day-to-day kind of sense) is "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff and read by Bryan DePuy. This book was originally published in 1954 and is certainly timely for 2020 if not timeless in its essential value. The crooks already know these tricks...Honest men must learn them in self-defense. I recommend this book.

32% smarter

I feel 32% smarter having listened to this book. Your first question should be, “32% smarter than who?”