There are many approaches to data visualization. Take well-know authors like Tufte, Cleveland, Ware, Few, Bertin or McCandless. There is some overlap, but they all approach data visualization from a different angle. That's great news for you: this means that you can come up with a unique point of view that reflects your interests and needs.
I suppose the books you buy are consistent with that view. Let me give you my own example. I try to be pragmatic and business oriented. That’s why there aren’t many design books in my library. On the other hand, I own several Excel, dashboards and presentation books.
So, after reading Enrico’s last post, The Data Visualization Beginner’s Toolkit I decided to follow Andy Kirk’s suggestion (“as many people as possibly should share what helped them”) and list my entire data visualization library.
Italicized titles are books I have access to, but I should buy them anyway.
Theory
- Now You See It
- Show Me the Numbers
- Information Dashboard Design
- The Collected Works of John W. Tukey Volume V
Cleveland's Visualizing Data
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Graphics and Graphic Information-Processing
Sémiologie graphique: Les diagrammes - Les réseaux - Les cartes
Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps
and the French version,
Other Authors:
- The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics
- Fry's Visualizing Data
- Initiation à la Graphique (by Serge Bonin, who worked many years with Bertin)
- Visualize This
- Readings in Information Visualization
- The Grammar of Graphics
- How Maps Work
Graph Design for the Eye and Mind
Creating More Effective Graphs
Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference
Presentations
Perception
Information Visualization: Perception for Design
Design
- Visual Language for Designers
- Traite du signe visuel
- The Elements of Graphic Design
- Visual Literacy
- The Visual Miscellaneum
- Beautiful Visualization
- Visual Complexity
Designer's Guide to Creating Charts and Diagrams
Numbers & Decision Making
- Turning Numbers into Knowledge
- Streetlights and Shadows
- Understanding Variation
- Numbers Rule Your World
- How to Measure Anything
- Web Analytics 2.0
Around Data Visualization
Excel & Dashboards
- Charts and Graphs: Microsoft Excel 2010
- Excel Dashboards and Reports
- Convaincre avec des graphiques efficaces
- Performance Dashboards
- Business Dashboards
Balanced Scorecards and Operational Dashboards with Microsoft Excel
Create Dynamic Charts in Microsoft® Office Excel® 2007
Excel 2007 Dashboards & Reports For Dummies
