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David McCandless
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Information is Beautiful Hardcover – 4 Feb. 2010

by David McCandless (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 994 ratings
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ISBN 9780007294664 was first published in 2009 and the reprint was published in 2010, hence the the original publish date will be mentioned on the book.

A visual guide to the way the world really works Every day, every hour, every minute we are bombarded by information - from television, from newspapers, from the internet, we're steeped in it, maybe even lost in it. We need a new way to relate to it, to discover the beauty and the fun of information for information's sake. No dry facts, theories or statistics. Instead, Information is Beautiful contains visually stunning displays of information that blend the facts with their connections, their context and their relationships - making information meaningful, entertaining and beautiful. This is information like you have never seen it before - keeping text to a minimum and using unique visuals that offer a blueprint of modern life - a map of beautiful colour illustrations that are tactile to hold and easy to flick through but intriguing and engaging enough to study for hours.

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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    William Collins
  4. Publication date
    4 Feb. 2010
  5. Dimensions
    19.5 x 2.8 x 25.2 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    9780007294664
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0007294664
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

"Information is Beautiful" is a wonderful present for anybody from 6 years to 96. I can't stop reading it. A lot of information is funny, all of it interesting, some of it even quite useful, so no house should be without one.
--Stoker Devonshire (12th Duke of Devonshire)

From the Publisher

We are on the third reprint and all copies now available are free from printing errors.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0007294662
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Collins (4 Feb. 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780007294664
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0007294664
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.5 x 2.8 x 25.2 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 994 ratings

About the author

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David McCandless

David McCandless

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I'm a London-based author, data-journalist and information designer, working across print, advertising, TV and web. My book and blog Information Is Beautiful is dedicated to visualising ideas, issues, knowledge and data. All powered by my passion for discovering new patterns and stories in the seas of data swamping and surrounding us.

My information design work has appeared in hundreds of publications internationally and online including The Guardian, Wired, and the BBC. I’ve also worked on visualisation projects for Google, Apple, Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I've had pieces exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at Tate Britain.

Love science. Journalism. Truth and beauty. The story beneath the story. And all things strange and interesting.

See

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net

http://www.davidmccandless.com

http://www.twitter.com/mccandelish

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
994 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book beautiful to look at and a bargain to buy. They also say the content is great, full of interesting facts and clever ideas. Readers describe the book as very engaging with great diagrams. However, some find the content quite complicated and the diagrams split over two pages.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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VisualsContentIdeasEntertainmentGiftabilityComplexity level
132 customers mention ‘Visuals’132 positive0 negative

Customers find the book beautiful, creatively put together, and interesting. They also say the visual format makes the details stick in their minds. Readers mention the book is image-based, so there's not mass amounts of block text. They say it's the sort of book they get lost in.

"...With that caveat, this book is a modern design classic. It's beautiful, interesting, clever and thoughtful." Read more

"...It also is image based so, there's not mass amounts of block text that you have to sieve your way through to find what you want, it's just image..." Read more

"Visually, this book is wonderful to look through. It is a series of well designed graphics. The only problem for me is what they are designed for...." Read more

"...This really is beautiful. The way some of the figures are presented is brilliantly original, and really fires the imagination for how information..." Read more

89 customers mention ‘Content’87 positive2 negative

Customers find the book full of interesting facts, ideas, and info graphics. They also say the choice of data is interesting and funny. Readers describe the book as an inspiration to teachers and dyslexic students. They say the information presented is accurate and relevant.

"...It's not only interesting, but is indeed as beautiful as the title promises it to be...." Read more

"...varied way that data is displayed in this book is a treat - and informative to boot..." Read more

"Visually, this book is wonderful to look through. It is a series of well designed graphics. The only problem for me is what they are designed for...." Read more

"...The number and variety of facts is good, as is the variety in the way that they are displayed...." Read more

25 customers mention ‘Ideas’25 positive0 negative

Customers find the ideas in the book clever, creative, and informative. They also say the book provides great metaphors and diagrams for inspiration in how to represent your own data. Customers also describe it as a beautiful, unusual book that's cleverly put together with little glimpses of humour.

"...It's beautiful, interesting, clever and thoughtful." Read more

"...of the figures are presented is brilliantly original, and really fires the imagination for how information could be better presented...." Read more

"As a Graphic Designer, this is a fine way to kick start ideas, very clever indeed...." Read more

"...It is a brilliant idea and is so interesting as a coffee table book you can pick up and look through at leisure...." Read more

15 customers mention ‘Entertainment’15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very engaging, refreshing, and arresting. They also say it would make an unusual and entertaining gift.

"...And interesting. And arresting. But not repetitive. Unlike this review." Read more

"...It is a brilliant idea and is so interesting as a coffee table book you can pick up and look through at leisure...." Read more

"...Brilliant ideas and A LOT of information packed in. A lot of fun but a lot to learn as well. Loved it." Read more

"...ways, this book will give you plenty of ideas, as well as being very interesting it its own right. A nice book to have lying around!" Read more

13 customers mention ‘Giftability’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great gift for anyone.

"...guests around, always make an easy start to the conversation; great as a gift too." Read more

"...A great gift for a hard to buy for teenage boy!" Read more

"...Nicley presented and feels good quality. Mine was error free. Lovely as a gift." Read more

"Very happy with this - makes a different gift." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Complexity level’3 positive11 negative

Customers find the book quite complicated, with untidy lines and organization. They also say the poor layout ruins the book and it's not organized as a reference book. Readers also mention that the diagrams are split over two pages.

"...or make the reader work hard for the insight, or generate confusion and ambiguity. Often unnecessarily...." Read more

"...For example, page 166/167 features illegible text where the pages meet. 230/231 is also mis-matched...." Read more

"...It is not organised as a reference book so I think it's more for fun than serious use and for this reason I would recommend it as a gift for people..." Read more

"...the coffee table when having guests around, always make an easy start to the conversation; great as a gift too." Read more

Great book but damaged pages
4 out of 5 stars
Great book but damaged pages
Great book and it’ll definitely be well received but annoying that some of the pages were dented and damaged...
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

Ripple
5.0 out of 5 stars The book that launched a thousand infographics reminds you how good they can be
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2014
Verified Purchase
Apparently there were numerous errors in earlier versions of this book, but this review is for the 2012 edition which would appear to have corrected the omissions and errors of earlier editions.

The most serious fault that I can level at McCandless's "Information is Beautiful" is that is has almost single handedly given rise to the infographic obsession that means that you can hardly go online without encountering some designer's view of information that is all style and little substance. However, returning to McCandless's book shows how, when done with thought and insight, the graphic can add to the reader's understanding of the data. The book is one part modern art, one part geek-porn and several parts graphic design. It's not only interesting, but is indeed as beautiful as the title promises it to be.

When the book was first published, in 2009, many of the designs were seldom used - not most of them will be familiar and that threatens to minimise the importance of the book in the history of infographic design. Rather like HDR photography, a badly thought out infographic is dull and a bit cliche now, but when done properly, they really do get the message over. A picture is said to paint a thousand words, but a well-designed infographic can get over more than that. And this is full of them.

McCandless is good at sourcing the data. One slight concern though is that there is a fair bit that is sourced from Wikipedia - which is seldom the most reliable of sources on anything. With that caveat, this book is a modern design classic. It's beautiful, interesting, clever and thoughtful.
4 people found this helpful
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LV
5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Inspiring resource
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2012
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A definite must for any graphic designer/design student! I keep being brought back to this book for inspiration and it really is beautiful!

After my tutor spoke about this book for the 10000000th time I thought it was about time that I invested, I ordered last night and it arrived this morning (Amazon Prime Free Trial) so I am really chuffed!

Another great thing about this book is the price, you can't get many decent design books for £12.00 so, I'd definitely make the investment! It also is image based so, there's not mass amounts of block text that you have to sieve your way through to find what you want, it's just image after image, which I find is more inspiring and it keeps me interested.

A+++++++++++
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A. J. Sudworth
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener for the way to show data as information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2010
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For those of you stuck in spreadsheet hell then this is book you should really like. The many and varied way that data is displayed in this book is a treat - and informative to boot
My working environment is characterised by massive spreadsheets where the prize seems to be to hide the information you need in a morass of data that you don't - what this book does is show that just because you have a lot of data in order to make sense of it you don't have to display all of it (never mind the quality feel the width approach) For example on Page 218 there is a display of whole has the worlds's oil - and who will have it in 2020 - now, instead of a big table you get a bubble diagram showing the relative sizes - and the point just leaps off the page that the Middle East will have a GREATER share of the world's oil in 2020 that it does today - now thats information and NOT data - one for the policy makers to mull over ?
And the book is full of them
Then try the one on Page 158/9 on Carbon production - again a table, even or ordered one does not give you the full difference - but put a picture on it and you see that the airline industry produces a huge amount
This book shows you many ways to present data - not all of them work for me - but oh it makes it more interesting that yet another line or bar graph - now if we could just use this in the civil service ..
5 people found this helpful
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elasticanimal
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice to look at
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2011
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Visually, this book is wonderful to look through. It is a series of well designed graphics. The only problem for me is what they are designed for. If they are to display data in a clear manner, not all of them deliver.

I absolutely hate treemaps and this book does not disappoint with some terrible examples in the early pages. They are just horrible ways to display data when the priority is visual appeal and not data quality.

Get this book if, like me you want to have a bit of inspiration for your own work. It has some good ideas in it, just the sources and delivery of the visualisations seem to be a bit ropey.
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Robin Hilton
5.0 out of 5 stars Error free, and beautiful indeed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2010
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I wanted this book from the day I read about it, but waited until the printing errors were sorted out. Amazon haven't really highlighted the publishers note that says this is now on to the third reprint, and is therefore error free. So I now have a copy. And it was worth the 6 month wait.

This really is beautiful. The way some of the figures are presented is brilliantly original, and really fires the imagination for how information could be better presented. And I was surprised at some practical pages as well - eg salad dressing recipes, with quantities represented visually.

This is one of those books that will sit in the book case and be dipped into every now and again for inspiration. Enjoy it.
134 people found this helpful
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Slimdog-g
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect 'coffee table book', or as a gift
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2014
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Each page presents a number of interesting facts in graphic form. The number and variety of facts is good, as is the variety in the way that they are displayed. Don't expect to become an expert in any area of knowledge using this book, but it does give you many "well I never knew that.." moments.

In all, a good buy, and a good book to have sitting on the coffee table when having guests around, always make an easy start to the conversation; great as a gift too.
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Sunshine
5.0 out of 5 stars My most used reference book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2013
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I saw David McCandless speak at a conference some time ago and was inspired immediately to go and buy the book the next day. I've been using this for months and I keep it on my desk in the office so when I'm lacking inspiration in how to get a message across - I flip through the pages to look at the infographics and get inspired.

I love this book so much I've bought it for many friends. Not much more to say ... even if you don't have a reason to buy this book .... buy this book. It's wonderful.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alex
4.0 out of 5 stars NUEVO BUEN ESTADO VENDO UNO ME SOBRO
Reviewed in Mexico on 18 February 2021
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NO CABE DUDA QUE EL LIBRO OFERTADO, CUMPLEN CON LAS ESPECTATIVAS DE LOS CLIENTES MAS EXIJENTES, UN SERVICIO Y ATENCIÓN SIN DUDA MUY BUENA
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Narasimha rao
5.0 out of 5 stars it is a beautiful book
Reviewed in India on 28 April 2021
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indeed!! It is a beautiful book as the title suggests and informative too. It exceeded my expectations. The insights the book awakens are amazing.
3 people found this helpful
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Hendryk Weiland
5.0 out of 5 stars Umfangreich, abwechslungsreich und manchmal überraschend
Reviewed in Germany on 29 September 2020
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"Information is Beautiful" stellt Sachverhalte wie das amerikanische Wahlsystem oder philosophische Theorien, Zusammenhänge unter Gruppierungen wie Musikgenres oder Lebensmitteln, und komplexe Daten wie die häufigsten Suchanfragen im Internet nach Ländern oder Gensequenzen geschickt und abwechslungsreich dar. Dabei gehen die Illustrationen oft weit über die gewöhnlichen Darstellungen wie Wortwolken und Balkendiagramme hinaus und verdeutlichen Informationen aus vielen verschiedenen Domänen.

Die Lektüre ist unterhaltsam und bietet oft die Möglichkeit, neue Facetten zu sehen und weitere Fakten zu lernen.
One person found this helpful
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Tim
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, interesting book.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 September 2015
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Amazing and very informational book. Filled with high quality diagrams and images and beautiful drawings. Would recommend for adults and older children though as there is some adult content.
Great book for someone who is curious and fascinated with the living world around them.
3 people found this helpful
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Alexandre
5.0 out of 5 stars un livre surprenant
Reviewed in France on 22 September 2014
Verified Purchase
Ce livre est un ensemble de dessins représentant des données, on est à la fois intéressé par le fond et la forme. Les manières de représenter les données sont assez originales dans l'ensemble, et les données traitées sont parfois inattendues. Je conseille de visualiser également la conf sur TED
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