The Lady Tasting Tea by David Salsburg, W. H. Freeman, $23.95, ISBN
0716741067
NO ACADEMIC subject is more in need of a facelift than statistics. Mere
mention of the word conjures up images of clerks poring over figures of coal
production in Albania. Its reputation will always be dogged by that line,
attributed to Disraeli, about “lies, damned lies—and statistics”.
David Salsburg, an American statistician working in the pharmaceuticals
industry, has bravely taken up the challenge of putting a human face on the
history of modern statistical science. In The Lady Tasting Tea,
Salsburg recognises what’s needed to produce…
