Lies, damn lies, and statistics. We’ve all heard that quote. The classic book on the fine art of lying with numbers, now over sixty years old and still available on Amazon….How To Lie With Statistics. If you torture the data enough, it will confess to anything.
But, if you are a geographer, or just like maps, you have to get a copy of Mark Monmonier’s How To Lie With Maps.
These are essential reads for anyone who habitually looks at charts, tables, models, and maps. All too often, we find maps that, while certainly appealing to the eye, either present information poorly or deliberately distort it. A quick read of these books will instantly turn you into one of those annoying critics of the maps and statistics that are set in front of us daily.