tables, the “magic number” that Tufte gave was 20. This should be avoided.Īs for using charts vs. don’t use a chart when a table will do, andĪn example of wasted ink included using internal grid lines, which often reduce the readability of the actual data.Don’t waste “ink” on unnecessary or distracting “chartjunk”,. It all boils down to just a few principles. The book goes on to highlight many amazing graphs, as well as a few counter-examples, and explains what makes them good or bad. It is so rich in information and so elegant. The graph on it looks like a meaningless jumble of lines, but it actually contains the entire train schedule of France from 1885. “No,” I said as I showed him a fascinating chart of Napoleon’s army’s advance to and retreat from Russia, “I’m actually just reading it for fun.”Īnd despite the fact that the cover looks like required reading for a 1960’s advanced course in Macroeconomics, it WAS fun. “Do you have to read that for a course or something?” “A little light reading, hey?” the doctor from Pennsylvania asked me on a recent flight.
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