How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers

The Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellerTim Harford could well be Britains Malcolm GladwellAlex Bellos, author of Alexs Adventures in NumberlandIf you arent in love with stats before reading this book, you will be by the time youre done. Powerful, persuasive, and in these truthdefying times, indispensableCaroline Criado Perez, author of Invisible WomenIn How to Make the World Add Up, Tim Harford draws on his experience as both an economist and presenter of the BBCs radio show More or Less to take us deep into the world of disinformation and obfuscation, bad research and misplaced motivation to find those priceless jewels of data and analysis that make communicating with numbers so rewarding. Through vivid storytelling he reveals how we can evaluate the claims that surround us with confidence, curiosity and a healthy level of scepticism. It is a mustread for anyone who cares about understanding the world around them.Tim Harford is our most likeable champion of reason and rigour . . . clear, clever and always highly readableThe Times, Books of the YearFascinating and enjoyableBill BrysonNow more than ever we need a book like thisStephen FryWise, humane and, above all, illuminating. Nobody is better on statistics and numbers and how to make sense of themMatthew SyedOne of the most wonderful collections of stories that I have read in a long time . . . fascinating.Steven Levitt, coauthor of FreakonomicsWise and useful . . . such a delightFinancial TimesWhat should we do when someone makes a claim that they say is based on data? This wise book, distilled from years of experience, gives us the ten commandments, from first examining our feelings, to finally having the humility to admit we may be wrong. PricelessProfessor Sir David Spiegelhalter