Number Savvy: From the Invention of Numbers to the Future of DataGeorgeSciadasChapman & Hall/CRC, 2022, 312 pages, £56.99/$74.95, hardcover ISBN 9781032362151
本书从历史视角讲述数字的发明、测量演变及数据在经济社会中的应用，适合数据工作者和官方统计人员批判性思考数据对人类发展的贡献。
Readership: Students, teachers and researchers who work with data. The purpose of this book is to present an historical perspective about numbers, written for ‘the love of numbers’. It provides a wide overview about the production, use and evolution of data together with critical remarks and personal perspectives. Chapters 1 and 2 presents how we, the humans, invented numbers and how they have been used to measure our world. Then, numbers became intimately connected with measurements, units and instruments. The origin of a paradigmatic shift from counting to estimation is illustrated in chapter 3, which opens the door of abstract constructs in the socio-economic realm. It illustrates how numbers and measurements have evolved to serve our needs, especially in the economic framework (unemployment rate, GDP, etc.). Looking at the origin about ‘how the statistics are produced’, critical aspects are discussed which are also applied in chapters 4–6. Nowadays, the world of data is changing our world. The rise of governments and national statistical offices poses new questions and problems for the acquisition, curation and use of administrative data. It's the start of the ‘new era of data’, which is extensively discussed in chapters 7–9, especially focused on the relevance of micro-data compared to macro-data. Finally, ‘the future of data’ is the last message of the book (chapter 10). Summarising, the book is a non-technical overview about numbers that may help readers think critically about how data have contributed to human development. In my opinion, it may be an intriguing read especially to people working with official statistics or who are interested in the use of data in our society.