8 Best Free Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science in 2024

Are you looking for Best Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science?. If yes, then your search will end here. In this article, I have listed the 8 best free books to learn statistics for data science. So read the full article and find out the best book for you. I will also guide you to choose the best book for you.

In order to become a successful data scientist or data analyst, you should have a good understanding of Statistics. Knowledge of statistics will give you the ability to decide which algorithm is good for a certain problem.

Statistics knowledge includes statistical tests, distributions, and maximum likelihood estimators. All are essential in data science.

As a Data Scientist or Analyst, you have to find useful insights from the data, that’s why statistics knowledge is crucial for you. 

But when it comes to learning statistics, books are very important, because books provide a solid understanding of the concepts. So without any further ado, let’s start finding the Best Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science for you.

Best Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science

1. Practical Statistics for Data Scientists

Author- Peter Bruce, Andrew Bruce

About Book-

This book is good for you if you are familiar with the R or Python programming languages and have some prior experience in statistics. In this book, you will learn how random sampling can reduce bias and yield a higher-quality dataset, even with big data, how to use regression to estimate outcomes and detect anomalies, etc.

But this single book is not enough to understand the deeper concepts of statistics. You will need other statistics resources to dig deeper. The best thing about this book is that code is available both for R and Python.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Practical Statistics for Data Scientists.

Also read- 7 Best Courses on Statistics for Data Science

2. Naked Statistics

Author- Charles Wheelan 

About Book-

This is one of the best and interesting books to learn statistics. This book is easy to read, unlike other books. You will engage throughout the book with humor and real-life examples of how statistics apply to the world we live in today.

In this book, you will learn the key concepts of statistics such as inference, correlation, and regression analysis, etc. The author of this book Wheelan includes many everyday life examples of how statistics is enlightening and infuriating.

This book is suitable for everyone, whether you are a beginner or intermediate. This book will clear your statistics concepts.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Naked Statistics.

3. Head First Statistics

Author- Dawn Griffiths

About Book-

This is another interesting and storytelling-style book. In this book, you will learn descriptive statistics: such as mean, mode, median, standard deviation, etc, probability distributions: such as Binomial, Poisson, Normal, and inferential statistics: correlation, regression, null hypothesis testing, etc.

The best thing about this book is that the author explains each topic clearly. And this book will not bore you, unlike other books. You will understand statistics with the help of real-life examples of how to use statistics in the real world.

This book is good if you are a beginner in statistics and looking for a book that makes your statistics learning much easier.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Head First Statistics or You can download the FREE EBook here

Also read- 8 Best Online Courses on R Programming You Should Know

4. An Introduction to Statistical Learning

Author- Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, and Robert Tibshirani

About Book-

This book will explain statistics concepts practically. This book is written for those people who don’t have programming and statistical knowledge. Even if you are an experienced person, you can refer to this book to brush up on your knowledge.

This book presents some of the most important modeling and prediction techniques along with relevant applications. Topics include linear regression, classification, resampling methods, shrinkage approaches, tree-based methods, support vector machines, clustering, and more.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- An Introduction to Statistical Learning.

5. Think Stats

Author-  Allen B. Downey

About Book-

This book covers only the concepts directly related to data science and also contains lots of code examples. And this book is good for those who already have at least a basic understanding of Python. I would not recommend this book to you if you don’t have prior knowledge of Python.

In this book, you will learn distributions, rules of probability, visualization, and many other tools and concepts. This book use simulations to understand concepts that are hard to grasp mathematically and uses statistical inference to answer questions about real-world data.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Think Stats or You can download the FREE Ebook here.

6. How to lie with statistics

Author- Darrell Huff

About Book-

This is a basic statistic book, this book doesn’t cover advanced concepts of statistics. But good for clearing your basics. The language of this book is easy to grasp.

The book is only 144 pages long, and it’s rapid reading but packed with an abundance of common sense and great insights.

In this book, you will learn which questions to ask and which criteria to consider when checking data, before taking statistical results at face value. The examples used in this book are old because the book was published in the 1950s, but the concepts are still 100% valid.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- How to lie with statistics or download the FREE Ebook here.

Also read- 10 Best Data Analyst Online Certification in 2024 You Need to Know

7. Statistics in Plain English

Author- Timothy C. Urdan

About Book-

As the name sounds “Statistics in Plain English“, this book is written in a very straightforward style and covers a wide range and depth of statistical concepts in a very simple to understand way.

This book covers different statistical techniques, ranging from basic concepts like central tendency and describing distributions to more advanced concepts such as t-test, regression, repeated measures ANOVA, and factor analysis. 

This book is good for you if you are coming into data science without a math-based degree.

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Statistics in Plain English or You can download the FREE Ebook here.

8. Bayesian Methods for Hackers

Author- Cameron Davidson-Pilon

About Book-

This book is good if you have some prior knowledge of Python. This book will not only covers theoretical aspects of Bayesian methods but also provides examples that you can run and adjust on your own computer.

I found this book is the best Bayesian inference book that explains these concepts in a simple way for a non-statistician to understand. This book also has coded examples throughout and the Github repository. The book is focused on PyMC, a Python module for bayesian statistics. 

Where to Buy this Book-

You can buy on amazon- Bayesian Methods for Hackers or You can download the FREE Ebook here.

Conclusion

In this article, you discovered the 8 Best Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science. Have you bought or Read any one of these Books? If yes then tell your experience in the comment section.

I hope these 8 Best Books to Learn Statistics for Data Science will help you to begin your Learning Journey.

All the Best!

Thank YOU!

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Though of the Day…

‘ It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.’

– John Wooden