R for Everyone: Advanced Analytics and Graphics (Addison-Wesley Data and Analytics) 1st Edition

Jared does a GREAT job of laying out a foundation for learning to program in R. His commentary is clearly articulated and the code samples are VERY useful for someone that is digging into the system.He hosts sample data that can be extracted for practice and maintains an Errata page. The functionality of the ggplot2 graphics package provides a lot of options and allows the construction of a layered request that makes for easy changes to graphics.What surprised me the most about the author happened when I emailed him a question. At the time, I was not successful when attempting to process a Join that he covers on p144 of the book. (Turns out that I needed to make a specific adjustment to my system.) Within hours of my email, I received an actionable response (the fix) that included additional recommendations. I have since had the pleasure of several additional and insightful exchanges.When I started in SAS (quite a while ago) I often turned to "The Little SAS Book" for ideas. It looks like Jared Lander and his book "R for Everyone" may be my ticket to progressing in R.This is a definite recommend!

Probably the most accessible introduction to R there is, but it does have it's flaws. The descriptions of some of the statistical concepts are shaky (especially PDFs), and the material is inconsistent in it's depth. That said, I have recommended it to my team, and I am hopint that a revised, improved edition will come out soon!

The book is outstanding. I was able to work my way through the book fairly quickly and learn R very well. The author provides many data sets that make it easy to follow along with the instructions.The examples are clear and easy to follow, and they work. Most programming books have multiple errors–I read one programming book that had over 100 errata–this book has zero errata.The writing is very easy to read, and the steps build from the very beginning to advanced principles.I met the author at an R conference, his presentation filled with attendees. He is able to make R accessible to non–programmers both in person and in print, and I am a much better user of R thanks to his work!Highest recommendation for R For Everyone!

I'm only through eleven chapters, and my reaction is mixed. I expected wonderful things because of the terrific reviews i'd read. The first nine chapters were easy to read and went quickly. But the book changed dramatically in chapters 10 and 11. Suddenly, they're using functions in examples without describing what the functions do and without listing all of the parameters of the functions and without explaining why we get the results we get instead of, in one case, the results I expected.

This book is a fantastic introduction to R. It takes you on a step by step tour of R and what it can do. Each section starts of very basic and then expands on the topic. It's easy to follow and fun. Some books are wordy and disorienting, this book is clear, lean, easy to follow and fun.Note... I am not a friend of the author, nor do I own stock in the publishing company. That said: I am amazed by the guy that gave the book 2 stars ("Easy to follow but not conducive to learning"). Really? I completely disagree.If you are a programmer coming from another language, you'll have no problem getting a grip on R with this book. If you're new to "programming", you won't have a problem as well. Enjoy!

I am still a novice in R, though I have used it for a while. I ordered this book because I need a more solid background in R for a major project. This book feels like exactly what I was looking for--like an experienced user sitting beside me helping me along. It is definitely *not* just a rehash of online pdf guides (which can be hard to parse). I am already marking pages that tell me things I never knew but needed to know. And the pacing of information "feels right"--no more than what I need to know, about when I need to know it. Just-released, its time references are as recent as September 2013, and that is important, because the R experience has evolved from something crude but full of possibilities to something much more rich, with an ecosystem of supporting tools. If you are like me, then I think you will really enjoy Jared lander's R for Everyone.