I have read the 2006 version.
Summary
Another entry on the topic of visual display of information by Edward Tufte. This book can be seen broken into 3 sections: 1) info and data visuals, 2) critique of data presentation, and 3) sculptures. The first section is the usual discussion from Tutfe on data, using examples from different parts of history as inspiration. The address on presenting data is written into 2 chapters with one on how data even is presented may not be accurate for various reasons, like cherry-picking, effects without causes, and overreaching. The next chapter is a criticism of PowerPoint, a leap from the few previous chapters as it focuses strictly on PowerPoint. The last 2 chapter is about sculptures, even a further leap, which is weird considering the topic even as the author explains the link.
Things I like
1. Further defining sparklines. Although Tufte has written on sparklines previously in The Visual Display of Qualitative Information, there is a chapter in this book that expounds on sparklines. I do thinkTufte may have taken the concept into another direction from its original. Going in-depth on what are sparklines, it can be seen that the idea of sparklines is not new, but much can be developed from it together with its practicality to use in real-life scenarios.
2. Explanation of Charles Joseph Minard's map. A chapter in this book discusses the principles of analytical design. This chapter uses Minard's map as the case study to highlight the importance of causality, comparison, and multivariate complexity in designing a piece of work for analysing data. This chapter not only helps readers to understand the principle, but it also adds to the argument of how Minard's work on the French army during the Russian Campaign 1812–1813 may arguably be the template or the textbook that people who do data visualisation shall refer to.
Final Verdict: Another good read on data and info displays. Perhaps, readers who are interested only in the data viz portion of the book may need to cherry-pick the chapters to help manage their expectations.