Data science reading list
Books to add to your library
Books on data science, data analytics, and data visualization are indispensable companions for anyone looking to harness the power of data to make informed decisions in an increasingly data-driven world. Here are some books our data team believe would make excellent additions to your library. We’ll keep adding to this list, so keep checking back.
By: Peter Provost and Tom Fawcett | Published September 2013 by O’Reilly Media
What we like about the book:
Must-read for anyone exploring a career in data science or is interested in data science
The authors clearly explain concepts and definitions
Helps you think about data and how it can be applied to solve business problems
Going through the book, you’ll gain an appreciation for big data and its benefits
Description on Goodreads: Written by renowned data science experts Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, Data Science for Business introduces the fundamental principles of data science, and walks you through the "data-analytic thinking" necessary for extracting useful knowledge and business value from the data you collect. This guide also helps you understand the many data-mining techniques in use today. Based on an MBA course Provost has taught at New York University over the past ten years, Data Science for Business provides examples of real-world business problems to illustrate these principles. You’ll not only learn how to improve communication between business stakeholders and data scientists, but also how participate intelligently in your company’s data science projects. You’ll also discover how to think data-analytically, and fully appreciate how data science methods can support business decision-making.
By: Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic | Published Novemeber 2015 by Wiley
What we like about the book
Practical tips on how to design effective charts
Useful information on how to incorporate data into your stories to support points you’re making
Super easy to read and follow along. Clear-cut information; no nonsense.
We reference this a lot, especially when we are building more complicated charts
Description on Goodreads: Don't simply show your data — tell a story with it! Storytelling with Data teaches you the fundamentals of data visualization and how to communicate effectively with data. You'll discover the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story. The lessons in this illuminative text are grounded in theory, but made accessible through numerous real-world examples — ready for immediate application to your next graph or presentation.
Storytelling is not an inherent skill, especially when it comes to data visualization, and the tools at our disposal don't make it any easier. This book demonstrates how to go beyond conventional tools to reach the root of your data, and how to use your data to create an engaging, informative, compelling story. Specifically, you'll learn how to:
Together, the lessons in this book will help you turn your data into high impact visual stories that stick with your audience. Rid your world of ineffective graphs, one exploding 3D pie chart at a time. There is a story in your data — Storytelling with Data will give you the skills and power to tell it.
Better Data Visualizations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks
By: Jonathan Schwabish | Published 2021 by Columbia University Press
What we like about the book
Great examples of how to visually present different types of data
Practical advice on chart design that you can apply immediately to make your graphs more effective
Pretty much goes over every possible way to visualize data and best practices. Curious about maps, box and whisker plots, and more, this book has you covered
Description on Goodreads: Now more than ever, content must be visual if it is to travel far. Readers everywhere are overwhelmed with a flow of data, news, and text. Visuals can cut through the noise and make it easier for readers to recognize and recall information. Yet many researchers were never taught how to present their work visually.
This book details essential strategies to create more effective data visualizations. Jonathan Schwabish walks readers through the steps of creating better graphs and how to move beyond simple line, bar, and pie charts. Through more than five hundred examples, he demonstrates the do’s and don’ts of data visualization, the principles of visual perception, and how to make subjective style decisions around a chart’s design. Schwabish surveys more than eighty visualization types, from histograms to horizon charts, ridgeline plots to choropleth maps, and explains how each has its place in the visual toolkit. It might seem intimidating, but everyone can learn how to create compelling, effective data visualizations. This book will guide you as you define your audience and goals, choose the graph that best fits for your data, and clearly communicate your message.
