Writing and Data Graphics

Towards Better Writing

Here is a list of books that I found to be useful in learning how to write, along with my (necessarily idiosyncratic) perspective on them. (This list is still under construction!)

• Elements of Style, 3rd ed., William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, 1979
• Elements of Grammar, Margaret Shertzer, 1986
• Modern English Usage, 2nd ed., H. W. Fowler, 1965
  
  These books are the "standard" references for the basic rules of grammar and style. Knowledge of (but not necessarily absolute adherence to) the so-called rules of grammar and style is essential to good writing.

The Fowler book is the classic reference (the first edition was published in 1926, the second in 1965) and set the direction of usage for many years. I personally tend to look at all three books to see what they have to say about a particular issue, to get a sense of why the rule is the way it is. Sometimes, the rules acknowledge different practices (e.g., Strunk and White say to put a comma before the “and” in a series of terms, and Shertzer agrees, but she says that some writers prefer to omit the comma before the “and”), so it is wise to look at all the books. I tend to put less weight on Fowler's advice, since it was written a little earlier.

As a fun exercise, try looking up the following things:

• The standard rule for the use of "that" and "which" as relative pronouns is as follows: use "that" for a restrictive clause, and use "which" for a nonrestrictive clause. When does one deviate from this rule?
• Why is a split infinitive bad?
• For a nonrestrictive clause, when do you use a pair of commas, a pair of dashes, or a set of parentheses to set off the clause?

• Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, 1989
  What I like about this book on usage is that it explains the history of the concept in question. That is, it treats the rules of grammar as an ongoing evolution of rules, so that one can intelligently decide whether and how to break the rules. (For example, take a look under split infinitive.)
• The Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed, Karen Elizabeth Gordon, 1983
• The Transitive Vampire: A Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed, Karen Elizabeth Gordon, 1984
  I mention these two books only because they provide humorous (and often perverse) examples of the rules of grammar and punctuation. Also, if the other books can't answer a question, then these books might.

From The Well-Tempered Sentence:

A hyphen connects parts of some compound words used as nouns or adjectives. It is also used in some words formed with prefixes.

"That was a curiosity-provoking peepshow," said the pseudosophisticated ball-of-fire to the pink-faced stick-in-the-mud as they cuddled halfheartedly over a pint of bitter in a Neo-Gothic hole-in-the-wall.

From The Transitive Vampire:

A dependent clause is incapable of standing on its own two feet (even though they are a subject and a verb) and therefore depends on some other part of the sentence. It is not that the dependent clause is lacking in the components of an independent clause; it is reduced to this abject condition by the subordinate conjunction that introduces it.

I fondled his lapel before I caressed his socks.
If she capitulates, we will reward her with a lollipop.
If this is love, I've made a terrible mistake.
If you let out the cat, I'll let out the last word.

• Elements of Editing: A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists, Arthur Plotnik, 1982
  I have not read this book too carefully yet, but it covers all of the essential elements of editing (and pitfalls). One piece of advice this book that seems sound is not to be too compulsive about marking up manscripts on points of style. ("Signs of Dysfunctional (Editor-Related) Compulsiveness: Holding to favorite rules of usage, whatever the effect on communication")
• On Writing Well, 6th ed., William Zinsser, 1998
• Writing to Learn, William Zinsser, 1988
  
  These books are inspirational, and they contain more information about how to write than any book on usage or style. Good writing is defined not by the adherence to the rules of grammar, but by the conveyance of ideas in a clear and concise way, which may involve breaking rules occassionally. I have just begun to read Writing to Learn, but On Writing Well is a fantastic book that describes the purpose and pitfalls of writing. Although the book is targeted for writing that is geared toward magazines, many of the principles given in the book (e.g., simplicity and clarity) apply to all writing.
• Handbook of Writing for the Mathematical Sciences, Nicholas Higham, 1993
  This book is a kind of catalog of the elements in mathematical writing. It covers topics such as theorems, symbols, equations, etc. It discusses the process of revision. It also covers issues of interest to academics in general: how to deal with citations, publishing a paper, and writing a talk.
• The Art of Fiction, John Gardner
  This book is specific to fiction writing. The single most important idea of this book is the concept of the "fictional dream". The idea is that one effect of good writing in fiction is that the reader is always in a dream state, actions taking place before the reader's imaginary eyes. Part 1 of the book is essentially an essay on the purpose of fiction, which is to understand the Truth. Not scientific truth, of course, but of fictional truth, which can be as powerful or more powerful than the truth of nonfiction.

Part 2 of the book gets into particular techniques of fiction writing. There are also useful exercises at the end of the book.

• The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, 1976.
  This handbook is useful for things like when to capitalize "North" (e.g., when referring to a geographical region of the United States) or how to punctuate something like "the 1970's". Admittedly, the rules are a bit arbitrary, since these rules, for the most part, have not changed over the past 100 years. However, if the other style books can't answer the question, then this book might.

Towards Better Data Graphics

Here is a list of books about graphics and data graphics that I found useful.

• How to Lie With Statistics, Darrel Huff, 1954
  This book is the classic book on graphing data. It explains how graphs can be misleading using certain constructions. Besides being a manual for how to spot misleading graphs, it also (indirectly) provides a set of principles to construct graphs.
• The Elements of Graphing Data, William Cleveland, 1985
  This book is a fairly comprehensive catalog of methods to graph data. It provides principles by which graphs should be constructed (e.g., "Make the data stand out. Avoid superfluity."). It covers many topics, including tick marks, scales, scatterplots, three or more quantitative variables, etc. The principles are sound, and some directly contradict Huff's advice (e.g., Huff says to always put "0" in the scale).

There are many examples that explain the principles involved. For every "bad" example, there is a "correct" example that illustrates the point.

• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd ed., Edward Tufte
• Envisioning Information, Edward Tufte
• Visual Explanations, Edward Tufte
  
  These books are simply fantastic. While not nearly as complete in terms of elements, these books explain, perhaps more clearly than any other book, the spirit and purpose of conveying information visually. They are what to data graphics as Zinsser's books are to writing.

Visual Display provides a theory of data graphics. There is a pretty wild redesign of the scatterplot, a design that follows from the principles of the book. Envisioning Information provides a catalog of methods to convey information (e.g., micro/macro readings, small multiples). Some of the advice contradicts Cleveland's (e.g., always put a box around the data area).  Visual Explanations continues on Tufte's theme of uncluttered data presentation (a theme also mentioned in Elements of Style, but with respect to writing) by talking about how data presentation can be used to support an argument or provide an explanation.

Simply amazing books.