I just finished reading Beautiful Evidence, by Edward Tufte, the fourth in his series on information presentation. I wrote a review of the first three books in the series early last year, but neglected to post it here, so I’ll start with that.

Edward R. Tufte has written three excellent books that describe how to effectively present information using graphical displays: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Envisioning Information, and Visual Explanations.
 
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information seeks excellence in statistical graphics. Simple tables can mask interesting qualities of large data sets, so graphics should be used to effectively communicate the ideas represented by the data. In fact, “graphical excellence gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space” – within reason, of course.
 
Is it also important to Tufte that graphics “tell the truth” about the data. It is easy – and common – to manipulate graphics in subtle ways to help prove an idea that the data doesn't necessarily support. He gives a number of guidelines to help maintain graphical integrity.
 
Envisioning Information aims to increase graphical excellence in charts and maps using the theories of his first book. The book consists mostly of examples of graphical excellence and Tufte’s explanations of what makes them so great.
 
Each chapter focuses on a different category of graphic. Micro/macro readings show patterns at a glance, and details when you look closely. Proper layering and separation is important to direct attention to the information. Small multiples show similar images on the same page for easy comparison. Color has great potential when used properly. Finally, combining a map and a time-series is a great way to show a narrative of space and time.
 
Visual Explanations is about using graphics to help explain complex processes. This book has a number of excellent examples of graphical presentations that had great success in communicating an important idea, as well as examples of poor presentations that were unable to do so – such as the recommendation to not launch the Challenger Space Shuttle in extremely cold weather.
 
All three books are fun to read and beautiful to look at. They provide challenging insights into what makes great informational graphics.

I also enjoyed reading Beautiful Evidence, but I didn’t find it as interesting as I had hoped. The material seemed too familiar. The book teaches the same fundamental concepts as his previous three books, and uses some of the same examples. Two of the chapters were adapted from previously published white papers, which I had already read. I also found the end of the book to be rather anticlimactic – the last chapters have to do with sculptures, which I unfortunately found uninteresting.

Still, if you’ve already read his first three books, you can hardly neglect his fourth. I certainly recommend the series as a whole – it is great food for thought.