Gary Smith received his PhD in Economics from Yale University and taught there for seven years. He is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
'A very entertaining book about a very serious problem. We deceive
ourselves all the time with statistics, and it is time we wised
up' Robert J. Shiller, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
and author of Irrational Exuberance
'Demystifies and illuminates... A must for the new data-driven
economy' The Times
'Gary Smith is brilliant when it comes to writing lively and
understandable statistical analysis. Standard
Deviations joins Darrell Huff's How to Lie With
Statistics as a "must-read" classic in the field' Woody
Studenmund, Laurence de Rycke Professor of Economics, Occidental
College
'It's entertaining; it's gossipy; it's insightful; it's destined to
be a classic. Based on a lifetime of experience unravelling the
methodical blunders that remain all too frequent, this book
communicates Gary Smith's wisdom about how not to do a data
analysis. Smith's engaging rendering of countless painful mistakes
will help readers avoid the pitfalls far better than merely
mastering theorems' Edward E. Leamer, Chauncey J. Medberry
Professor, UCLA
'Shows in compelling fashion why humans are so susceptible to the
misuse of statistical evidence and why this matters. I know of no
other book that explains important concepts such as selection bias
in such an entertaining and memorable manner' Richard J.
Murnane, Thompson Professor of Education and Society, Harvard
Graduate School of Education
'Both a statement of principles for doing statistical inference
correctly and a practical guide for interpreting the (supposedly)
data-based inferences other people have drawn. The book is cleverly
written and engaging to read, full of concrete examples that make
clear not just what Smith is saying but why it matters. Readers
will discover that lots of what they thought they'd learned is
wrong, and they'll understand why' Benjamin M. Friedman,
William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy, Harvard
University
'Standard Deviations will teach you how not to be deceived by
lies masquerading as statistics. Written in an entertaining style
with contemporary examples, this book should appeal to everyone,
whether interested in marriages or mortgages, the wealth of your
family, or the health of the economy. This should be required
reading for everyone living in this age of (too much?)
information' Arthur Benjamin, Professor of Mathematics, Harvey
Mudd College and author of Secrets of Mental Math
'Statistical reasoning is the most used and abused form of rhetoric
in the field of finance. Standard Deviations is an
approachable and effective means to arm oneself against the
onslaught statistical hyperbole in our modern age. Professor Smith
has done us all a tremendous service' Bryan White, Managing
Director, BlackRock, Inc.
'Gary Smith reveals in this deeply insightful skeptical analysis of
the use and abuse of statistics, the numbers never just speak for
themselves... His catalogue of mistakes we all make - including and
especially scientists - should be memorized by every citizen... and
member of Congress' Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic and
columnist for Scientific American
'Effective in encouraging readers away from passive acceptance of
what data findings cross our paths and towards active skepticism...
Overall he delicately balances telling stories of bad actors with
condemning fields of inquiry as a whole... We, as human consumers
of data, must do better, and this book tells us
how' Significance magazine
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