101 Data Visualization and Analytics Projects (Paperback)

Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

Better than I expected. Rare to find a technical book this well judged.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with introductory & beginning.