Reader reviews

Finally, a book that treats data visualization with the care it deserves.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with data visualization.

Good in places. I would borrow it before buying if you can.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The chapters on game programming are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The chapters on game programming are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Finally, a book that treats physics simulation with the care it deserves.

I have been working with physics simulation for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.