The person who made this web page is plainly crazy, in a really good way. It is a visual rendering of the Freakonomics chapter titled “Why Do Drug Dealers Live With Their Moms?” The coincidence is that, inspired by the amazing work of Edward Tufte, I have been thinking about how our next book (SuperFreakonomics, natch) should include visuals to help bring the data to life. SuperFreak is a long, long way off, but one preliminary idea is to issue a special edition, with a trim size more like an art book than a standard non-fiction book, that would allow for copious Tufte-like sidenotes of data, illustrations, etc. Feedback welcome.
Freakonomics Illustrated
and 
. You can also watch it on 
Please do that! One of my favorite things when reading non-fiction are the bits of information that wouldn’t normally get included. For instance, Mary Roach’s books Stiff and Spook both have numerous footnotes that add a lot of humor to the texts, which focus on rather macabre subjects. A lot of dead bodies in those books…
Please do that! One of my favorite things when reading non-fiction are the bits of information that wouldn’t normally get included. For instance, Mary Roach’s books Stiff and Spook both have numerous footnotes that add a lot of humor to the texts, which focus on rather macabre subjects. A lot of dead bodies in those books…
Freakonomics has absolutely inspired my life! I can’t stop talking about it to all my friends and bringing it up constantly – the thought of the next book coming out is absolutely thrilling! Illustrations would add an interesting effect, but what could be cool are pop-up pages or maybe a fun pull-out poster ala Stewart’s “America: Democracy Inaction.” Except no nude supreme court judges.
Freakonomics has absolutely inspired my life! I can’t stop talking about it to all my friends and bringing it up constantly – the thought of the next book coming out is absolutely thrilling! Illustrations would add an interesting effect, but what could be cool are pop-up pages or maybe a fun pull-out poster ala Stewart’s “America: Democracy Inaction.” Except no nude supreme court judges.
I can see a Freakonomics book like that lying nicely on a coffee table. I’d buy it in both sizes; one to keep on the bookshelf and one to keep out for casual rereading.
I can see a Freakonomics book like that lying nicely on a coffee table. I’d buy it in both sizes; one to keep on the bookshelf and one to keep out for casual rereading.
A graphics-led version of Freakonomics would be great, but it won’t be easy. Why not see if you can collaborate with Tufte? I think he works as hard at the subtleties of presenting information in graphical form as you both have in the statistical analysis and writing of Freakonomics. To try and fall short would be a shame. To work with him (or someone as good) and succeed might create something amazing. And I’d buy it.
A graphics-led version of Freakonomics would be great, but it won’t be easy. Why not see if you can collaborate with Tufte? I think he works as hard at the subtleties of presenting information in graphical form as you both have in the statistical analysis and writing of Freakonomics. To try and fall short would be a shame. To work with him (or someone as good) and succeed might create something amazing. And I’d buy it.