Reminiscences of a Statistician - by Erich L Lehmann (Paperback)

About the Book

This relatively nontechnical book is the first account of the history of statistics from the Fisher revolution to the computer revolution. It sketches the careers, and highlights some of the work, of 65 people in the field, all known personally to the author.

Book Synopsis

Professor Lehmann has known many remarkable statisticians and mathematicians. This book is an autobiographical account of his encounters, following the steps of his own career. Taken together, these sketches provide a very personal picture of the development of statistical theory from the 1930's to the 1970's. It is the period between two revolutions: that of Fisher, Neyman and Pearson, which laid the foundations for the classical statistical theory of that period; and the second revolution, forty years later, brought about by the advent of the computer, which turned statistics in new directions.

From the Back Cover

This relatively nontechnical book is the first account of the history of statistics from the Fisher revolution to the computer revolution. It sketches the careers, and highlights of some of the work, of 65 people, most of them statisticians. What gives the book its special character is its emphasis on the author's interaction with these people and the inclusion of many personal anecdotes.
Combined, these portraits provide a panoramic view of statistics during the period in question. Included are discussions of such topics as nonparametrics, Bayesian approaches, and data analysis. The stress is on ideas and technical material is held to a minimum. Thus the book is accessible to anyone with at least an elementary background in statistics.
Erich L. Lehmann is Professor Emeritus of Statistics at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the American and National Academies, a former Editor of the Annals of Mathematical Statistics, and former President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Chicago and University of Leiden, and was awarded the Wilks and Noether prizes. He is also the author of Testing Statistical Hypotheses, Theory of Point Estimation, and Elements of Large-Sample Theory, all published by Springer. Two more elementary books, Basic Concepts of Probability and Statistics (joint with Hodges) and Nonparametrics have recently been reissued by SIAM and Springer, respectively.

Review Quotes

From the Reviews:

"Reminiscences contains stories of people, their lives, their quirks and their science - told with gentle kindness and deep understanding of both the people and their science. It is a wonderful book and I urge everyone with an interest in people, in the development of 20th century science, or in statistics to buy, read and cherish it." (Howard Wainer, Journal of Educational Measurement, Summer 2009, Vol. 46, No. 2))

"This book is a gem, a must-read. It is a throughly enjoyable mixture of autobiographical and broader historical material, presented as mini-biographies of over 60 mathematicians and statisticians connected to the author....The book contains many anecdotes relating to what we might call career development, implicity emphasizing the role of chance in life. It contains much of interest on academic research, administration, teaching, the writing of papers and textbooks, collaboration, advising, and most prominently, friendship." (Terry Speed, Short Book Reviews)

"The book is, in part, autobiographical. It also provides biographical vignettes of the people Lehmann has known and associated with since his arrival at Berkeley in 1941. ... This is the first book that provides insights into the personalities and progress of statistical work of this period ... . Currently, the book is a very interesting read with much insight. In the longer term, I predict that it will be a valuable source for historians of the future wanting to write about this period." (David Bellhouse, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2008 k)

"This is an excellent book that can be recommended to anyone with an interest in statistics, the history of statistics, the history of science, and the philosophy of science. It is a personal story of the development of the statistical thinking that today dominates so much of the way we learn about the world, written by one of the main architects of this statisticalthinking. ... Lehmann gives a detailed exposition of the development of the testing of statistical hypotheses." (Kjell Doksum, Technometrics, Vol. 51 (4), November, 2009)

About the Author

Erich L. Lehmann is Professor Emeritus of Statistics at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the American and National Academies, a former Editor of the Annals of Mathematical Statistics, and President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He holds honorary degrees from the Universities of Chicago and Leiden, and was awarded the Wilks and Noether prizes. He is also the author of Testing Statistical Hypotheses, Theory of Point Estimation, and Elements of Large-Sample Theory, all published by Springer. Two more elementary books, Basic Concepts of Probability and Statistics (joint with Hodges) and Nonparametrics have recently been reissued by SIAM and Springer, respectively.