Head first statistics

Head First Statistics is one of many books in the mathematical sciences that intend to simplify a topic and make it easier learn. Griffiths, a writer, mathematician, and IT consultant, entices the reader with clever graphics, humor, catchy phrases ("Statsville"), limited verbiage, lots of open space, work space for problems, common-day problem settings (casino winnings instead of medical research data ), and varied type fonts (including script-like insertions which "point to and explain"). Content covers traditional topics in an introductory (no math prerequisite) statistics course: descriptive statistics, probability, and inferential statistics through goodness-of-fit/independence tests using the chi-square distribution. A typical chapter includes brief explanations, fill-in exercises, full work exercises followed by solutions, "dumb" questions typically associated with the topic and their answers, and then more problems with solutions. The book is correct, has good explanations and graphics, and reads better than most books of its type. Notation will vary occasionally from traditional works. Development of the p-value approach in hypothesis testing is weak. (It is not even mentioned in chi-square distribution tests.) This reviewer noted occasional grammatical errors. Some readers will find the abundant "cutesiness" overdone. Much of the book would be helpful to general audiences and students. Summing Up: Recommended. All public, undergraduate, and two-year technical program libraries. W. R. Lee Winona State University