Author: HUFF, Darrell
Title: How to Lie with Statistics
Description: New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 1954. Hardcover. Illustrations by Irving Geis. 8vo. Terra cotta paper over boards with black spine lettering. 142pp. Very good. Tight and internally fine, with binding (only) a bit edgeworn and rubbed; lacks dust jacket. Early (not first) printing of this wildly popular tongue-in-cheek how-to, the best-known title by the prolific writer (1913-2001) who was NOT a statistician. The popular use of statistics in the press came into its own in the 1950s, and this witty and well-illustrated look at how statistics can be used and abused found a ready audience. Illustrator Irving Geis (1908-97) mainly illustrated serious biology texts, but is often remembered for this title and another he illustrated for Huff. Front flyleaf bears the ownership signature of ALLEN HYNEK (1910-86), a noted astronomer and academic usually remembered for his pioneering UFO research. Below his signature he records it had been given him by the illustrator ("gift of / Irving Geis / 1958") -- but even more interesting is that below this ADLAI E. STEVENSON II (1900-65), Illinois governor and twice Democratic presidential candidate, boldly pens in blue ballpoint "gd for A.S. 608" (meaning of "608" unclear). He then adds occasional marks and a few words throughout the text -- margin squiggles, underlined phrases and sentences, asterisks, a few words (such as "may have done so before" alongside a Thomas Dewey anecdote on page 85). Stevenson was well known for his humor and wit -- and also as a voracious reader, and books such as this may well have provided grist for his mill. Whether Hynek was a friend of Stevenson's and passed the book along for that reason is not known -- but an intriguing, most unusual copy in any case. .
Keywords: Humor & Folklore
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Title: How to Lie with Statistics
Description: New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 1954. Hardcover. Illustrations by Irving Geis. 8vo. Terra cotta paper over boards with black spine lettering. 142pp. Very good. Tight and internally fine, with binding (only) a bit edgeworn and rubbed; lacks dust jacket. Early (not first) printing of this wildly popular tongue-in-cheek how-to, the best-known title by the prolific writer (1913-2001) who was NOT a statistician. The popular use of statistics in the press came into its own in the 1950s, and this witty and well-illustrated look at how statistics can be used and abused found a ready audience. Illustrator Irving Geis (1908-97) mainly illustrated serious biology texts, but is often remembered for this title and another he illustrated for Huff. Front flyleaf bears the ownership signature of ALLEN HYNEK (1910-86), a noted astronomer and academic usually remembered for his pioneering UFO research. Below his signature he records it had been given him by the illustrator ("gift of / Irving Geis / 1958") -- but even more interesting is that below this ADLAI E. STEVENSON II (1900-65), Illinois governor and twice Democratic presidential candidate, boldly pens in blue ballpoint "gd for A.S. 608" (meaning of "608" unclear). He then adds occasional marks and a few words throughout the text -- margin squiggles, underlined phrases and sentences, asterisks, a few words (such as "may have done so before" alongside a Thomas Dewey anecdote on page 85). Stevenson was well known for his humor and wit -- and also as a voracious reader, and books such as this may well have provided grist for his mill. Whether Hynek was a friend of Stevenson's and passed the book along for that reason is not known -- but an intriguing, most unusual copy in any case. .
Keywords: Humor & Folklore
Price: US$ 250.00 Seller: Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts
- Book number: 51171
- Book number: 51171
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