Call number
Publication
New York : Collins Design, c2012
Pages
255
Description
The bestselling classic has been revised and updated! A colorful guide to the world's most consequential trivia, Visual Miscellaneum by David McCandless is a reference book like no other. It now includes 18 all new graphs and 23 updated ones. It helps us make sense of our world by putting the data we are bombarded with every day -- health findings, technological advances, cultural touch points, war statistics -- into creative visual perspective. Like Show Me How by Lauren Smith and Schott's Miscellany, only more complete and satisfying, Visual Miscellaneum is a treat for the mind and the eye. Using cutting edge graphs, charts, and illustrations, author David McCandless creatively visualizes the world's most surprising relationships and compelling data. - Publisher.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
255 p.; 9.8 inches
ISBN
9780062236524
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User reviews
LibraryThing member EowynA
I spent a fascinated few minutes wandering through his website the other day, and so recognized the cover of his book when I saw it in Borders yesterday. I picked it up, paged through it, and found myself drawn in. This is a book of statistics and of art. The charts are as trivial as "Who Really
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Runs the World? - conspiracy theories" and a chart of caffeine vs. sugar for various drinks, and as profound as "Global Warming - the arguments of the skeptics vs. the arguments of the consensus". I found the charts of movies of 2007, plotted by financial return vs. average critic's score fascinating. Also enjoyed the comparison of political Left vs. political Right. Lots of trivia, lots of fun, and presented in a way that helps the numbers make sense. He has obviously learned the lessons taught by Edward Tufte in his books on information presentation, and brought them beautifully to bear on some of the more, and less, pressing questions of the 21st century. Show Less
LibraryThing member CSMcMahon
I LOVE this book. As someone who loves random trivia, it was the perfect read. I loved the collection of information and imagery. I was amused with the list of actors that are better connectors than Kevin Bacon. (Who knew that Dennis Hopper was a way better connector?) The Rock Genre-ology chart
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was an interesting read and made me want to go to iTunes and pandora to explore. The Right vs Left comparison was fascinating. The Internet Virals was like an online walk down memory lane. This book is gorgeous. You will definitely enjoy flipping through it and then exploring more online. Show Less
LibraryThing member NielsenGW
Here are some of the most extraordinary things you will find out in this book: There is 105 years' worth of oil and 70 years' worth of coal left in the planet at current usage rates; indigotine, or food color E132, has been linked to unpleasant health affects; the opening of carbonated beverages in
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America releases 389,570 tons of carbon into the atmosphere; the standard colors of happiness in American, Hindu, Native American, and Chinese cultures is yellow, green, white, and red, respectively. David McCandless scours the globe and the Internet to pull together the most salient details on human existence and represents them in beautiful graphs and charts. This book will an absolute delight for anyone looking to get a grasp on current knowledge and belief systems. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member jontseng
Loo Reading for graphic designers. OK but not as good as the website.
LibraryThing member jonas.lowgren
A wonderful collection of the author's own work in information visualization for topics ranging from popular culture to science, health, religion and the general state of the world. The main distinction of the work is a remarkably strong and clear focus on saying something interesting in new ways.
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Some academic sources on information visualization tend to focus too much on form; what McCandless does is to show convincingly how much more powerful visual communication is when you care equally about form and content. In terns of genres, the work sits somewhere between information visualization, news graphics and visual communication -- but I think it will be useful and appreciated by any interaction designer concerned with visual aspects of their work. Show Less
LibraryThing member whistlerclaire
Communicating information is so important, and usually so poorly done. This is a brilliant achievement in the battle for brevity and clarity.
LibraryThing member yesrogeryes
This is one of my favorite book on my bookshelf. It has not only various interesting knowledge, also the beautiful and creative/fun way of representing the information. I encourage every go take a look inside, and I believe most of you will love it~!
LibraryThing member heike6
The ultimate coffee table book for visual thinkers, it will keep you busy for hours on end.
LibraryThing member wcarter
Many facts of doubtful authenticity or selective; format far too small and you needs a magnifier to see a lot of detail; many charts far too complicated; colour choice makes text unreadable in some cases (eg. white text on yellow background); USA bias; some facts just plain uninteresting.
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
Most exciting visual representation of data that I've ever experienced. That being said, sometimes I did not understand how the data was being represented. Overall, visually stimulating and interesting.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
These days we are surrounded by data, every transaction online or in a shop is recorded, processed and analysed. That data is sucked into vast databases that are then used to sell you even more stuff.
But in the hands of McCandless this vast data stream is shown in all its magnificence. He has
It is not without its flaws; I'm not completely sure that all the data is 100% accurate. Some of the graphical layouts are magnificent, cleverly constructed to portray the maximum amount of information clearly. It doesn't have a huge amount of text, just information. Lots and lots and lots of information. Well worth a look if you are interested in this type of thing, but not up to the standard of of of Tufte's masterpieces.
But in the hands of McCandless this vast data stream is shown in all its magnificence. He has
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taken the facts and numbers and made them beautiful, elegant and more importantly understandable. The range of subjects he has covered is vast too, there are maps of the internet, global spending, radiation charts, popular books, DNA, the evolution of computers, drugs, religion, alcohol, coffee, google search terms and many many more. All are shown in the most relevant form to aid clarity.It is not without its flaws; I'm not completely sure that all the data is 100% accurate. Some of the graphical layouts are magnificent, cleverly constructed to portray the maximum amount of information clearly. It doesn't have a huge amount of text, just information. Lots and lots and lots of information. Well worth a look if you are interested in this type of thing, but not up to the standard of of of Tufte's masterpieces.
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LibraryThing member Katya0133
I enjoyed the book, but I wish that the infographics had been based on information that was more rigorous.