Statistics. by L. H. C. TippettReview by: M. G.Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Vol. 106, No. 4 (1943), p. 373Published by: Wiley for the Royal Statistical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2980487 .

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1943] 373

CONTENTS. REVIEWS OF STATISTICAL AND ECONOMIC BOOKS

PAGE 1.-Tippett (L. H. C.). Statistics . 373 2.-Notestein (F. W.) dnd others.

Future Population of Europe and the Soviet Union . . . 373

PAGE 3.-Kulischer (E. M.). Displace-

ment of Population in Europe . 375 4.-Liepmann (Kate K.). Journey

to Work. . . . . 376

1.-Statistics, by L. H. C. Tippett. (The Home University Library. Oxford University Press. 1943. 61" x 41". 184 pp.

A statistician writing an introduction to his subject designed to interest new readers is assailed by three temptations. The first is to " feature " diagrams or tables of data which he thinks " the public"' will enjoy. The next is to drop into algebra-elementary algebra, of course-which guarantees the scientific respectability of his subject. The last is to be vaguely eloquent on the past, present and future triumphs of statistics in solving important problems. * Mr. Tippett has stoutly resisted the Evil One. There are some diagrams and tables-but very few; there is no algebra at all; far from boasting of triumphs, Mr. Tippett confesses his early faith that modern methods of statistical analysis " seemed to have unlimited power to penetrate the secrets of nature " has waned. This asceticism is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the production of a good primer. But Mr. Tippett has also a sense of humour, a sense of literary form and common sense; he is, in fact, of the Yulean School. The result is that one could hardly do better than put the booklet into the hands of any intelligent person who wants to know what statistics is (or are) about. We should select the chapter on Statistical Reasoning as a model combination of wit and wisdom; its examples of propaganda statistics are admirably chosen, those of post-1939 vintage painfully remind us that virtually all statistics of war in all countries are propagandist, but a pre-war example may be quoted. "It is men of exceptional experience who are buying X . . . cars to-day." "87 per cent. of X ... cars to-day are bought by men who have bowned six other makes of car before." Mr. Tippett comments: I suppose it is unlikely that as many as 87 per cent. of all makes of car are bought by such veterans as those mentioned in the advertisement, and the purchasers of X .-. . cars are probably exceptional, but they may be exceptional in their fickleness-and do the makers of the X . .. cars wish us to believe that they do not get many repeat orders ? These are possible interpretations of the data." Another possible interpretation is that the X ... cars were not very low-priced, and, statistically speaking, salaries increase with age.

Mr. Tippett does well to insist that " statistical laws have nothing to do with individuals." This ought to be a truism, but one oftens meets with ostensibly statistical classifications so fine that the tabulation will be of individuals, and even oftener with complaints that regression equations are not very useful for picking individual scholarship boys.

Mr. Tippett's book will encourage readers likely to make good statisticians and discourage those who want an up-to-date magic. That is high praise.

M. G.

2.-The Future Population of Europe and the Soviet Union; Population Pro- jections 1940-70. By Frank W. Notestein and others. Princeton University. League of Nations. Allen and Unwin. 1944. 57" x 87". 315 pp. I5s.

If numbers count-and who can doubt it during a world war?-this is an alarming book. Europe has a declining population compared with the rest of the world, and North-Western 1urope has a declining population compared with the rest of the Continent. So the countries with a higher standard of living

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