The History of Statistics: The Measurement of Uncertainty before 1900 Reprint Edition

This book is regarded, as it should be, as the authoritative text on the history of statistics before 1900. The only point I have to add to what has already been said is that the work is best viewed as a prehistory of statistics. From its beginning in handling astronomical measurement errors and games of chance to its birth as its own discipline with the development of linear regression, Dr. Stigler expertly handles the intellectual concepts and mathematics which led to this genesis.Why does he stop at 1900? Because, from approximately that time, statistics began as a subject one had to devote oneself to for an extended period to understand all the theory developed in the discipline. There will never be a history of statistics in the 20th century just as there will never be a history of physics in the 20th century. The amount of theory, driven by a massive effort of human ingenuity, now standard in these disciplines forbids a thorough historical narrative.Caveat Emptor. Dr. Stigler does not write armchair style, by providing vivid portraits of scientists or telling anecdotes. Instead, he delves right into the theory in all its mathematical complexity. For someone who uses these concepts everyday at work, it's fascinating to see them in their original context. However, if you are looking for light reading, or a work of popular science, this is probably not the right choice of reading material.

This is an outstanding book. As a Statistics student, I can't imagine reading anything better on this subject. The math in the book is in-depth enough such that I can relate historical developments of various statistical theory and technique to what I have done (and, for that matter, that which I have yet to do) and it was possible to reproduce some of the calculations on my own (which was quite enjoyable). Overall, this is an excellent book--I can't recommend it enough.

As my professor, Stigler is very good at provoking students. It is an honor to use his book in class.

Excellent book. To me, this book is not simply an exposition of the history of statistics, but a way to understand statistics better via the challenges which historically motivated its development. The writing is clear, precise, and insightful.

In two words: very good. This is a remarkable piece of work. I have rarely read books such as this in which the amount of information that has been read, processed, analysed and then synthesised by the author is so massive and spanning several centuries. This is really very impressive to someone like me who appreciates first hand the difficulties involved, the motivation needed, and the shear amount of energy that must be invested in reading large amounts of highly technical, and, as applicable to this case, very old in style of presentation and notation, in order to first understand and then extract its essence as well as its relevance to the evolution of a field as a whole.It has taken me more than two years to finish because it is very long, because my (but I could write in general 'our') interest in a particular subject naturally waxes and wanes depending on we are doing and concerned with from day to day and month to month, because some sections are very technical, and because some of them were more interesting to me than others. In addition, although the text is very well written and I have not picked up any misprints (which is amazing compared to most books I have read), the typesetting and layout is not conducive to reading for long periods of time: the font is too small, the layout is too tight, there are not enough chapters, sections nor subsections.Lastly, I found that it ended very abruptly, as if the author "needed" to finish the book and just ended it without taking the time to write a fuller conclusion that would have allowed the reader to get a global summary of the contents of the book in somewhat greater detail than what was done in a few pages of text. But then again, maybe this was intended by the author. I just know that I would have greatly appreciated a detailed conclusion reviewing the book in 10 to 20 pages, say, in order to clearly tie in all the elements of the book.Even in the light of these minor reservations, I whole heartedly encourage anyone interested in statistics to read this book. It is very well worth the investment, and I found it, indeed, very inspiring.

This is a very good book on the history of statistics. It presents the background for this complex topic in a very understandable way.

Excellent!

If you are looking for a an incredibly advanced book which assumes you are a scholar of mathematics and history, than this book is for you. I was looking for something that would introduce me to the development of statistics throughout history that is accessible and does not presume that you already know most of what is being written about.If you are seeking to learn about the history of statistics, look elsewhere!

Interesting.Does not shy away from the math.Really cool perspective on the discipline from someone who is a phd in the field.The hard cover is a really great quality print as well.

Uma obra que inclui a discussão de algumas das passagens mais importantes da História da Estatística e que não aparecem na maioria absoluta dos livros disponíveis no mercado.

Superb. Excellent service too.