Statistics on the Table: The History of Statistical Concepts and Methods

This collection of essays examines in detail the history of some of the concepts involved in bringing statistical argument to the table, and some of the pitfalls that have been encountered. Topics range from 17th century medicine and blood circulation to the meter of Virgil's poetry.

Review :
[This is] a lively and controversial history...well captured in the second major book on the history of statistics by Stephen M. Stigler...In reading this collection, I was struck with the amount of scholarship and thought that went into each of the essays and with the liveliness and wit of the author's writing style.--Paul S. Levy "Perspectives in Biology and Medicine " A well-selected collection of 22 essays--some involving major central mathematical ideas, others of a more popular nature--that vividly explore a number of interesting topics about a subject with so many diverse applications.--Nestor Osorio "Library Journal " In "Statistics on the Table", statistician and historian of science Stephen M. Stigler collects and revises 22 of his scholarly and often witty essays from the past 25 years reflecting the combination of detective work and statistical thinking that characterize his research.--Valerie M. Chase "American Scientist " Mainstream statistical topics (e.g. maximum likelihood, degrees of freedom, regression toward the mean) and various statistical writers (particularly Karl Pearson, Jevons, Edgeworth, Galton, Bayes, Gauss and Cauchy) are discussed, as well as some historical curiosities...Any biometrician should find plenty in it to fascinate, enlighten and entertain.--D. A. Preece"Biometrics" (12/01/2000) Stephen Stigler's 1986 book "The History of Statistics: The Measurement of Uncertainty before 1900" was greeted with enthusiasm by both staticians and historians for its penetrating overview of developments in probabilistically oriented statistics before 1900. This new volume, too, will be of interest to both statisticians and historians...What is the same in this book-or, indeed, even better-is the sparkling and witty style...This book should without question have a place on the bookshelf of every person interested in the history of statistics.--Ida H. Stamhuis "ISIS " Stigler's useful, readable, and valuable book, with its numerous illuminating illustrations and plentiful insights, is an authoritative and definitive work in the early development of mathematical statistics, and a delightful examination in witty detail of the contributions of Gauss, Laplace, deMoivre, Bayes, Galton, Lexis, James Bernoulli, Quetelet, Edgeworth, and others. With humor and conviction, Stigler describes vividly the events leading to the emergence of statistical concepts and methods.--D. V. Chopra "Choice " [This book's] title comes from a letter written to the London "Times" in 1910 by the statistician Karl Pearson, exhorting critics of one of his studies to set aside mere opinions and put their 'statistics on the table.' Stigler uses this and other stories to relate the history of his subject, describing along the way the idiosyncratic individuals who have brought logic and mathematical rigor to a frequently confusing area of analysis. The reader who is not alarmed by the occasional graph or simple equation will find this a penetrating and entertaining account. In Statistics on the Table, statistician and historian of science Stephen M. Stigler collects and revises 22 of his scholarly and often witty essays from the past 25 years reflecting the combination of detective work and statistical thinking that characterize his research. Stephen Stigler's 1986 book The History of Statistics: The Measurement of Uncertainty before 1900 was greeted with enthusiasm by both staticians and historians for its penetrating overview of developments in probabilistically oriented statistics before 1900. This new volume, too, will be of interest to both statisticians and historians ... What is the same in this book-or, indeed, even better-is the sparkling and witty style ... This book should without question have a place on the bookshelf of every person interested in the history of statistics. are discussed, as well as some historical curiosities...Any biometrician should find plenty in it to fascinate, enlighten and entertain. confusing area of analysis. The reader who is not alarmed by the occasional graph or simple equation will find this a penetrating and entertaining account. reflecting the combination of detective work and statistical thinking that characterize his research. sparkling and witty style... This book should without question have a place on the bookshelf of every person interested in the history of statistics. the emergence of statistical concepts and methods. thought that went into each of the essays and with the liveliness and wit of the author's writing style. ÝThis book's¨ title comes from a letter written to the London "Times" in 1910 by the statistician Karl Pearson, exhorting critics of one of his studies to set aside mere opinions and put their 'statistics on the table.' Stigler uses this and other stories to relate the history of his subject, describing along the way the idiosyncratic individuals who have brought logic and mathematical rigor to a frequently confusing area of analysis. The reader who is not alarmed by the occasional graph or simple equation will find this a penetrating and entertaining account. ÝThis is¨ a lively and controversial history...well captured in the second major book on the history of statistics by Stephen M. Stigler...In reading this collection, I was struck with the amount of scholarship and thought that went into each of the essays and with the liveliness and wit of the author's writing style. -- Paul S. Levy "Perspectives in Biology and Medicine" If you have an interest in the history of statistics and also history in relationship to statistics, you will want this book. The standard for scholarship within the statistical community has never been any higher than it is here. In "Statistics on the Table," statistician and historian of science Stephen M. Stigler collects and revises 22 of his scholarly and often witty essays from the past 25 years reflecting the combination of detective work and statistical thinking that characterize his research. -- Valerie M. Chase "American Scientist"