In his new book, The Art of Statistics, David Spiegelhalter guides us through the essential principles we need in order to derive knowledge from data, showing us why data can never speak for itself. He explains the basic concepts, from regression to P-values (without using mathematics), and introduces the intellectual ideas that underpin statistics. Drawing on numerous real world examples, he shows us how statistics can help us determine the luckiest passenger on the Titanic, whether serial killer Harold Shipman could have been caught earlier, and if the skeleton in the Leicester car park really was Richard III.

Sir David Spiegelhalter is a British statistician and Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Spiegelhalter is one of the most cited and influential researchers in his field, and was elected as President of the Royal Statistical Society for 2017-18.

Fiona Steele is a Professor of Statistics and Deputy Head of the Department of Statistics at LSE. Fiona first joined in LSE in 1996 as Lecturer in Statistics and Research Methodology.  She then worked at the Institute of Education, University of London 2001-2005, followed by the University of Bristol 2005-2013 where she was Professor of Social Statistics and Director of the Centre for Multilevel Modelling. She returned to LSE in 2013. 

The Department of Statistics (@StatsDeptLSE) offers a vibrant research environment and a comprehensive programme of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

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Podcast & Video

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Slides

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Learning from Data: the art of statistics (pdf)