The Minard System: The Complete Statistical Graphics of Charles-Joseph Minard

by Sandra Rendgen

If you have any interest in information graphics, maps, or history, you know of the seminal flow map of Napoleon's 1812 march into Russia by Charles- Joseph Minard, made famous by Edward Tufte, and considered to be one of the most magnificent data graphics ever produced. The Minard System explores the nineteenth-century civil engineer's career and the story behind this masterpiece of multivariate data, as well as sixty of Minard's other statistical graphics reflecting social and economic changes of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and around the world. These stunning drawings are from the collection of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees in Paris and have never before been published in their entirety.

Genres: Design, History, Art, Nonfiction, Cartography

176 pages, Hardcover

Published November 6, 2018

About the author

Sandra Rendgen is an author and editor with a focus on information graphics, interactive media, and the history of information visualization. Based in Berlin, Germany, she studied art history and cultural theory and is the co-author of Information Graphics and Understanding the World: The Atlas of Infographics.

Reviews

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago I became aware of Minard's most famous work, his 1869 map/graph of Napoleon's 1812-13 march to Moscow and subsequent retreat from that city back to France. It's both completely dispassionate and utterly horrifying. In a spare, stripped-down graphic, Minard tells a grim story - 422,000 French troops crossed the Russian border, 100,000 made it to Moscow, and only 10,000 survived to return home. There is a temperature scale along the bottom, linked to the retreat during the bitter Russian winter. And the line whose thickness represents the number of troops gets noticeably thinner at every river crossing. This map is both a beautiful statistical representation and a chilling reminder of the horrors of war.

As for the rest of the book - it's kind of amazing. Minard was a civil engineer, and among his subjects are such uninteresting topics as English coal exports, Russian railway traffic, and French grain sales and transport. But his graphics are just beautiful, and rise to the level of art. Ultimately, the goal of the science of statistics is to tell stories, and Charles-Joseph Minard was among the best statistical storytellers we have ever had.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely lovely book with great intro and essay by Rendgen.

I had not realized the historical context of these maps in relation to say, the expansion of railroads. Minard, as an engineer involved in infrastructure, wanted to start determining the efficacy of placement, etc. I also had not realized that Minard went on to develop many of his flux maps *after* he had retired—as his interests and curiosity continued. And finally, I had not realized that there are actually two parts of The Famous Map (aka Napoléon's Russian campaign), the second part being the march over the Alps by Hannibal (another progressive loss).

Definitely of interest to those who love visualizations of data, and who love the Famous Map. Rendgen's essay is wonderful, and I'm delighted to have read it and had the chance to look at more maps!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with the beautiful maps and drawings of Charles-Joseph Minard He was a 19th Century French engineer who pioneered the use of flow maps. He's most famous for his map of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, which charts six different variables see here. But even his non-historic maps are really fascinating visuals, even if they're on "boring" topics like grain imports to France.

[Tadeusz Pudlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive catalog of Minard's graphical works, with a short but informative biographical essay. The graphics are handsomely reproduced and well-annotated. I believe most of them are not available in any other printed source.

It's a beautiful book that gives a rare glimpse of the very earliest history of information graphics, especially flow maps.

[Max Getuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so inspiring for anyone interested in the art and science of data analytics and visualization from one of the pioneers of the field. It’s also a great example of what outstanding civil work looks like for people working with governments, especially from an innovative standpoint.

[Mark]

COCC QA276.3 .R46 2018

Finally returned 15 November 2019. Read a bit and it was lovely and immensely interesting but ... so many books.