All of a sudden it just makes sense! Everyone knows that "lightbulb moment", when previously accumulated knowledge or facts become condensed into a lucid concept, where something previously opaque becomes crystal clear. This book is laden with such moments. This is the most accessible statistics text for a generation and I predict (based on prior knowledge) that it will be a major factor in moving scientists of every shape and size towards the Bayesian paradigm. Even if you're sceptical, you're likely to learn more about frequentist statistics by reading this book, than by reading any of the tomes offered by so called popularisers. If you are a social scientist, laboratory scientist, clinical researcher or triallist, this book represents the single best investment of your time. Bayesian statistics offer a single, unified and coherent approach to data analysis. If you're intimidated by the use of a scripting language like "R" or "BUGS", then don't be. The book repays your close attention and has very clear instructions on code, which elucidate the concepts and the actual mechanics of the analysis like nothing I've seen before. All in all, a great investment. The only serious question that can be raised about the design and implementation of a book such as this is: why wasn't it done before?
Click here to see the review at Amazon.com. My great appreciation goes to R. Dunne for taking the effort to post the review.
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