Envisioning Information: Amazon.ca: Edward R. Tufte: Books

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mapping at its best, Feb 22 2002

By

S. M Marson (Lumberton, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Envisioning Information (Hardcover)

ENVISIONING INFORMATION represents one volume within a set of three. The primary objective of Edward R. Tufte is to demonstrate the importance of graphic illustrations in understanding the world around us.

In this volume, the central focus is to demonstrate how one can use static and a two-dimensional surface (i.e. a piece of paper) to show a world that is complex, dynamic and multidimensional. The illustrations that he selects and his explanation of the impact of the illustrations is nothing less than magnificent. Tufte is brilliant! Unlike the other two volumes, the centerpiece of this work is mapping. He addresses various artistic principles that offer a great clarity in guiding a scholar to reproduce distance and shapes. I draw your attention to page 37. Here, we see a small piece of an "Isometric Map of Midtown Manhattan." The author gives us an opportunity to purchase the entire map. I purchased the map for a close friend who calls Midtown Manhattan "home." It isn't merely a map; it is a beautiful piece of art. According to the author, these mapping principles can be generalized to serve other functions. For example, such techniques can be used to provide dance notations (see page 114-119). That is, Tufte shows us how we can employ illustrations to teach people how to dance.

All of Tufte's three volumes are pieces of artwork. All are awe-inspiring. ENVISIONING INFORMATION is slightly different than the other two volumes. I like to use Tufte's work as an example of how graphics can be employed to illustrate qantitative information to students.

Every academic library should own a copy of these three volumes.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Required Lessons in UX Thinking, Sep 16 2010

By

Rick Dolishny (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Envisioning Information (Hardcover)

Worth every penny if you can find it. Easy to understand discussions on designing flat graphics and information in a world of depth and time. Why is it no longer in print?

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5.0 out of 5 stars kicking myself in glee, Oct 26 2002

By

heatherlynn (vancouver wa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Envisioning Information (Hardcover)

i worked in bookstores for years, i am an avowed bibliophile and here is the one that got away - until now!. yes this is part of a set of three...but you can figure that out yourself. this is an essential edition fo anyone who loves cartography (a la How to Lie with Maps /Monmonier kind of cartography), statistics, art, complexity, symbolism, cognitive science etc - you name it this book has it. It does require that you revel in the concept and manifestation of representation. I believe that it is possibly one of the most beautiful science books around - and it often transcends any definition of a "text" book.

the entire book offers endless brain-fodder for the meaning and impact of the word "vision". The complexity of the subject(s) is given justice in this book - with both beauty and fun!! I was delighted to have been a late comer to this title but now i have to go fully read Tufte's Political Control of the Economy (1980)....if only i had known ten years ago that Tufte was so fantastic, engaging, diverse, and accessible!!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Remarkable
Edward Tufte sees things most of us do not initially, then manages to render his vision in exquisitely illustrated, well-written texts. Read more

Published on Dec 18 2001 by loce_the_wizard

5.0 out of 5 stars words and graphs to go from 2 to higher dimensions
This is the second book in Ed Tufte's trilogy on graphical displays. It is a sequel to "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information". Read more

Published on July 22 2001 by Michael R. Chernick