Statistics
by David Freedman, Ani Adhikari, and Roger Purves

Price: $59.25, 2nd Edition, Hardcover.

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Second Edition, Hardcover, Published by W. W. Norton & Co.

If you buy just one book on statistics, this should be it. If mathematics scares you, get this book. If you are interested in how and why statistics works, get this book. If you want to improve the way you teach statistics, get this book.

For people first studying statistics, note that this book is written in ENGLISH! All formulas are written in English, not arcane mathematical symbols. For example, the formula for the arithmetic mean or average is:

The average of a list of numbers equals their sum, divided by how many there are.

That's it, no summation symbols and no variables with subscripts. The average is also described as:

Average of a list = sum of entries divided by the number of entries

The standard deviation (SD) is described:

SD = square root of (average of $(deviations\; from\; the\; average)2$ )

(A deviation from the average is just the number minus the mean for the entire set of numbers.)

The book is both easy and enjoyable to read. It is interesting reading and not just for statisticians. You get to read about important applications of statisitics in the real world (often including relevant historical details). There are also very well thought-out excercises that are realistic and yet can be easily computed by hand.

When I first found this book, I had finished my Ph. D. and had taught statistics for a number of years. Even though this is an introductory text book, I still learned a lot! It actually explains many important concepts that are often buried in the mathematics of other books. (For example, how many students understand the concept of "regression toward the mean"?) It completely changed the way I taught statistics. Especially when you are first starting to study statistics, you don't want the mathematics to obscure the statistical concepts. I've seen far too many students being able to do much of the mathematics but not having a clue about the statistical concept behind the method. They could do the computations but wouldn't know why they were doing them or when the method was appropriate to use.

The book consists of 29 chapters and covers design of experiments (comparative experiments), descriptive statistics (histograms, mean, standard deviation, normal distribution), correlation and regression, probability, chance variability (expected value and standard error), sampling (surveys, chance error), chance models (measurement error, genetics), and tests of significance (large sample tests for the mean and proportions, t-tests, and Chi-square tests).

Statistics for Experimenters:
An Introduction to Design,
Data Analysis, and Model Building

by George E. P. Box

List: $74.95
Our Price: $74.95

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A general introduction to designing experiments. This already classic text book provides all the tools needed to design experiments for application to industrial problems. Box has contributed enormously to many areas of statistics, including the design of experiments. He does a great job explaining how to apply the principles to real problems.

Statistical Control by Monitoring and Feedback Adjustment

by George E. P. Box and Alberto Luceno

List: $69.95
Our Price: $69.95

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Covers many important problems in statistical quality control from simple Shewhart charts for independent observations to charts designed to detect various types of signals buried in autocorrelated noise. The authors cover just enough theory to handle the problems while concentrating on practical application. The authors also take great pains to explain the theory in easy-to-understand terms. Box not only developed much of this theory but he can also explain it to virtually anyone! This book makes you an expert on the subject without having to be an expert at the beginning.

Introduction to Statistical Quality Control

by Douglas C. Montgomery

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Thoroughly covers quality control charting and acceptance sampling techniques among other quality assurance topics. A great reference for professionals and at the same time especially good for beginners. Montgomery always does an excellent job of explaining the basic concepts in an easy to understand format.