From ea8faefdfd71a83f031abccccdf91b14ab07b90d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "gleicher (mac)" Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:38:12 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] clean up books --- content/resources/_index.md | 2 ++ content/resources/bertin/index.md | 2 +- content/resources/books-first.md | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++++ content/resources/cairo/index.md | 3 +-- content/resources/design/index.md | 1 - content/resources/munzner/index.md | 3 +-- content/resources/visual-thinking/index.md | 1 - 7 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) create mode 100644 content/resources/books-first.md diff --git a/content/resources/_index.md b/content/resources/_index.md index 2c656de..919abf8 100644 --- a/content/resources/_index.md +++ b/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 {{}} (summary: probably Cairo's The Truthful Art). diff --git a/content/resources/bertin/index.md b/content/resources/bertin/index.md index 03ff2f0..747b6e1 100644 --- a/content/resources/bertin/index.md +++ b/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] diff --git a/content/resources/books-first.md b/content/resources/books-first.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8a6cef9 --- /dev/null +++ b/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**. + + + +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 {{}}). 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, {{}} 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, {{}} 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 {{}} section or the {{}} tag. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/resources/cairo/index.md b/content/resources/cairo/index.md index c45c34d..e8d236a 100644 --- a/content/resources/cairo/index.md +++ b/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. diff --git a/content/resources/design/index.md b/content/resources/design/index.md index 26488b2..c789d6e 100644 --- a/content/resources/design/index.md +++ b/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." diff --git a/content/resources/munzner/index.md b/content/resources/munzner/index.md index 45b56f0..02ebd81 100644 --- a/content/resources/munzner/index.md +++ b/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. diff --git a/content/resources/visual-thinking/index.md b/content/resources/visual-thinking/index.md index 6fbac83..01698ea 100644 --- a/content/resources/visual-thinking/index.md +++ b/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.