Part 7: The essential collection of visualisation resources
This is the seventh part of a multi-part series designed to share with readers an inspiring collection of the most important, effective, useful and practical data visualisation resources. The series will cover visualisation tools, resources for sourcing and handling data, online learning tutorials, visualisation blogs, visualisation books and academic papers. Your feedback is most welcome to help capture any additions or revisions so that this collection can live up to its claim as the essential list of resources.
The Essential Visualisation Books I
This seventh part, alongside part eight and part nine, presents a comprehensive collection of the books that have had most influence on my knowledge about data visualisation and its many closely-related subject areas. The selection presented includes only the books I own or I have read from a library – I have decided to exclude any books I’ve not yet read, even if they might be on other reading lists. However, I will add emerging texts to the collection as and when I get to them.
The categories used to organise and group the books simply represents an instinctive and personal view for how they have proven valuable to me – I appreciate they could be/will be argued, debated and refined but it will never be perfect! The books in each section are typically sequenced alphabetically. Clicking on the book images will take you to the relevant Amazon.com page (please note these are affiliate links).
** If some of the images fail to display (especially in Internet Explorer), click refresh **
Visualisation and Infographic Design
  |
Beautiful Visualization: Looking at Data through the Eyes of Experts, By Julie Steele and Noah Iliinsky |
 
|
Cause and Effect: Visualizing Sustainability, By R. Klanten |
  |
Creating More Effective Graphs, By Naomi B. Robbins |
  |
Data Visualizations: A Successful Design Process, By Andy Kirk |
 |
Designing Data Visualizations: Intentional Communication from Data to Display, By Julie Steele and Noah Iliinsky |
  |
Elements of Graph Design, By Stephen M. Kosslyn |
  |
Envisioning Information, By Edward R. Tufte |
  |
Excel 2007 Dashboards & Reports For Dummies, By Michael Alexander |
  |
Graph Design for the Eye and Mind, By Stephen M. Kosslyn |
  |
How Maps Work: Representation, Visualization, and Design, By Alan M. MacEachren |
  |
How to make an IMPACT, by Jon Moon |
  |
Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data, By Stephen Few |
  |
Information Graphics, By Taschen |
  |
Information is Beautiful, By David McCandless |
 
|
Interactive Data Visualization for the Web, Scott Murray |
  |
Now You See It: Simple Visualization Techniques for Quantitative Analysis, By Stephen Few |
  |
Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think, By Stuart K. Card, Jock Mackinlay and Ben Shneiderman |
  |
Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps, By Jacques Bertin |
  |
Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten, By Stephen Few |
  |
The Craft of Information Visualization: Readings and Reflections, By Ben Shneiderman |
  |
The Elements of Graphing Data, By William S. Cleveland |
 
|
The Functional Art, By Alberto Cairo |
  |
The Grammar of Graphics, By Leland Wilkinson |
  |
The Information Design Handbook, By Jennifer Visocky O’Grady |
  |
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, By Edward R. Tufte |
 
|
The Visualisation of Spatial Social Structure, By Danny Dorling |
  |
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, By Dona M. Wong |
  |
Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information, By Manuel Lima |
  |
Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics, By Nathan Yau |
  |
Visualizing Data, By William S. Cleveland |
  |
Visualizing Data: Exploring and Explaining Data with the Processing Environment, By Ben Fry |
That completes the seventh part of this collection of essential visualisation resources. You should also take a look at similar collections made by Enrico Bertini and Jorge Camoes. Please leave any comments or feedback any suggestions you have to add to this collection or to enhance the detail presented above.
Related posts:
- Coming soon… The essential collection of visualisation resources
- Part 8: The essential collection of visualisation resources
- Part 9: The essential collection of visualisation resources
Hi,
you should take a look at the book ‘Brain Rules’ – John Medina – Very powerful stuff (it’s not directly related to datavisualization but there are a lot of stunning point in the book that are related to the Dviz scope)
Cheers
Many thanks for the suggestion Stephane, it does ring a bell with me, must look into it.
Hi Andy,
Two comments. First, I hope that our new book, Designing Data Visualizations http://oreilly.com/catalog/0636920022060 will make the list. Your review copy should be showing up in your inbox in the next few days.
Second, I disagree with the inclusion of Universal Principles of Design. I *love* the concept of the book, but I find the quality is really inferior. The writing and examples are both poor, and they often don’t actually explain the principle. (If I had my copy in front of me, I’d give specific examples.) I found the book embarrassingly bad.
Best, Noah
Thanks Noah. It will indeed feature, in fact on reflection I don’t think I’ll be breaking my rule by including it now… I’ll get that sorted. WRT ‘Universal Principles of Design’, I do take your point and have found it frustrating at points also, but equally it would be unfair of me not to acknowledge its use as a convenient/quick reference guide – the concept, as you note, just tips it for me.
[...] Visualising Data » Blog Archive » Part 7: The essential collection of visualisation res… [...]
[...] Visualising Data » Blog Archive » Part 7: The essential collection of visualisation res… Source: http://www.visualisingdata.com [...]