clean up books

content/resources/_index.md

@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@ draft = false
 These are pages describing various visualization resources. More often than not, this means books - but due to the way the web site is built, books are a [tag](tags/books), not a "subsection".
 
 Note, that for the books, usually what I am describing is why the book is relevant to my class. But if it's relevant to students in my class, it is probably similarly relevant to you.
+
+If you're not in class and just want a book recommendation to get started, check out {{<link books-first>}} (summary: probably Cairo's The Truthful Art).

content/resources/bertin/index.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Bertin's Books (Semiology of Graphics)
-date: 2022-08-29 22:00:00-05:00
+date: 2024-08-23 22:00:00-05:00
 draft: false
 categories: []
 tags: [books]

content/resources/books-first.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
++++
+title = 'Books: what should I read first?'
+date = 2024-08-29T09:55:05-05:00
+draft = false
+tags = ["books"]
++++
+
+If you need to pick a book to get started, I recommend Alberto Cairo's the **The Truthful Art**.
+
+<!--more-->
+
+The question I get asked a lot: if I am going to read a book to get started learning about Vis, which one should I read?
+
+The (very professorial) answer is, of course, depends on who you are and what you want to learn.
+
+But, after thinking about this for a while, I can actually recommend one as the right first choice for most people: Alberto Cairo's **The Truthful Art** (see my discssion at {{<link cairo>}}). For some people, some other book may actually be better suited for you - but you will probably want to read this one first (or second).
+
+Some of the alternatives...
+
+1. I am limiting myself to picking one book. In my class, I have students use a mix of chapters from different books.
+2. If you are a CS graduate student and want to think about visualization in a deep and rigorous manner, {{<link munzner>}} should definitely be on high on your list. But you might want to start with Cairo first to get some context.
+3. If you are more interested in the human element and how psychology connects to visualization, {{<link visual-thinking>}} is a great starting point, and is  a thin book you can read quickly. You still might want to read Cairo first to get a broader perspective.
+4. If you want a practical "let me make something quickly", I still recommend Cairo to get a perspective on how to think about what is the right thing to make. I don't have suggestions for good "tool specific" or highly practical books. What I find is that once you have the foundations, you can pick up the tools from web resources.
+
+There are a lot of books out there... and I've only looked at a few of them. You can see some ideas in the {{<link resources >}} section or the {{<link books>}} tag.

content/resources/cairo/index.md

@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 ---
 title: 'Cairo: The Truthful Art and The Functional Art'
-date: 2022-08-29 22:00:00-05:00
+date: 2024-08-24 22:00:00-05:00
 draft: false
 categories: []
 tags: [books]
 resourcethumb: truthful.png
-weight: 2
 ---
 
 Alberto Cairo is a designer and journalist who has become a visualization educator. He has written some excellent books on visualization. I use excerpts from his books "The Functional Art" and "The Truthful Art" in my class.

content/resources/design/index.md

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ date: 2022-08-29 22:00:00-05:00
 draft: false
 categories: []
 tags: []
-weight: 15
 ---
 
 Students often ask for resources on Graphic Design. I'll suggest two books that have been readings in class in the past (and might be this year if we do the Graphic Design module): "The Non-Designer's Design Book" and "Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty."

content/resources/munzner/index.md

@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 ---
 title: 'Munzner: Visualization Analysis and Design'
-date: 2022-08-29 22:00:00-05:00
+date: 2024-08-24 22:00:00-05:00
 draft: false
 categories: []
 tags: [books]
 resourcethumb: vad.png
-weight: 1
 ---
 
 This is the closest thing to a "primary textbook" for my class. The course shares a similar philosophy to the book, and we'll read almost all of the chapters. The UW library has electronic copies, so students do not need to buy it.

content/resources/visual-thinking/index.md

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ draft: false
 categories: []
 tags: []
 resourcethumb: ware-vis-thinking.jpg
-weight: 3
 ---
 
 This is a thin little book (I know several people who read it in one sitting) that discusses the psychology of visual perception and its relationship to visualization and design. It’s not very deep, but it's a great place to get started in appreciating how understanding how we see can help us be better designers.