Statistics is one of the most powerful forms of rhetoric in use today. Consumed by public, government and media alike, statistics can shape opinion and influence policy. From Florence Nightingale to Francis Galton, Magnello charts the development of statistics from antiquity to the present.

Statistics is one of the most powerful forms of rhetoric in use today. Consumed by public, government and media alike, statistics can shape opinion and influence policy, informing (and misinforming) us of the world in which we live.