I can’t teach you how to make great charts in Python.
But I know someone who can.

I had the privilege of getting an early copy of Matt's book: Effective Visualization: Exploiting Matplotlib & Pandas. It's a great resource for anyone looking to sharpen their data visualization skills using Python.

Effective Visualization tells you all you need to know about crunching out data into astonishing graphs and charts, all while using a conversational tone that makes you feel like you are sitting right next to a teacher explaining the subject.

Like Matt Harrison's other successful data science books, Effective Visualization delivers. His examples put visualization concepts into practice on real-world datasets. The book goes well beyond "run this command". The book guides the reader with clarity by applying the CLEAR method to datasets. Through this framework, readers build skills to critically look at data, to communicate key insights visually, and select the most effective visualizations to tell convincing data stories.

I’ve been following Matt’s work for quite a while and even had the pleasure of hosting him as a guest lecturer at Duke University. Effective Visualization is yet another great work in his collection, delivering practical, real-world techniques that every data scientist—experienced or not—should read.

Matt has an unparalleled ability to simplify complex visualization concepts, and his CLEAR method provides a structured approach to crafting meaningful and engaging visuals. This book goes beyond just creating charts; rather, it teaches you how to think about data visually, transforming raw numbers into compelling narratives.

Effective Visualization is a must-have resource for anyone who works with data. Matt Harrison's ability to demystify advanced techniques in Pandas and Matplotlib is second to none. His CLEAR method simplifies the visualization process, empowering readers to create visuals that not only inform but also engage. This book is an invaluable tool for turning raw data into powerful stories that resonate. Highly recommended for data enthusiasts and professionals alike!

Effective Visualization by Matt Harrison is an exceptional guide that transforms complex data into compelling visual narratives. With remarkable expertise, Matt simplifies advanced Pandas and Matplotlib techniques, all while introducing his innovative framework—a practical blueprint for crafting clear, engaging, and impactful visualizations. Written in a conversational and mentor-like tone, the book feels like a personalized coaching experience, breaking down technical concepts and emphasizing their real-world applications. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned professionals, it empowers readers to transform raw data into meaningful stories that inform, engage, and inspire. This is an essential read for anyone looking to elevate their data storytelling skills.

Effective Visualization tells you everything you need to know about how to effectively visualize data in python.  In the CLEAR method, Matt lays out a simple framework to take your visualizations to the next level not only by creating stunning visuals but by being able to have your data tell a story.  This book avoids hype and buzzwords and provides practical and actionable instruction for beginners and more experienced users alike.

Effective Visualization is a great way to start your data visualization journey and take it to the next level. With simple yet powerful techniques, the book provides multiple examples on transforming dull, uninspiring charts into compelling visual stories that convey insights with clarity.

Visualization essentials are the core of this excellent book.  By mastering it, you will be able to create any of the four essential kinds of visualizations.  You learn extracting the essence of the available data with Pandas and use essential features of Matplotlib for the design.  With perfect visualizations, your audience will easily comprehend the quintessence of the story you intend to tell. 

Effective Visualization is an indispensable guide for data practitioners who obsess over the visual display of information. The book teaches you how to conceptualize compelling visuals as well as how to execute, iterate, and refine them. If you're a fan of method chaining, you'll be delighted by what is arguably the most comprehensive repository of method-chained pandas and matplotlib code available.

Effective Visualization is the logical successor to Effective Pandas in the journey of a Data Scientist or Data Analyst. After mastering pandas, this book takes visualization to the next level with clear and detailed explanations that make complex concepts easy to grasp.More than just a guide, it explores Python’s full visualization potential, opening a world of possibilities for transforming raw data into compelling insights. If you work with data, this book is a must-have.

Matt’s Effective Visualization book distills essential visualization concepts into a clear and practical methodology. It serves both as a textbook on fundamental principles and as a handy reference for pandas and matplotlib code, enabling the creation of strikingly effective plots. Through numerous examples, readers gain valuable techniques for avoiding common pitfalls and refining every detail of their charts. Additionally, Matt also touches upon multiple machine learning techniques which are relevant to the world of visualization, yet still easy to replicate even for practitioners from other fields.

Effective Visualization fills a much-needed gap in Python’s data science literature by focusing not just on the mechanics of data visualization but also on good visualization practices - visualization as a craft itself.  To ensure broad application and a strong foundation, it primarily uses Matplotlib library, the backbone of many other visualization libraries. This is important because, even if you rely on another library, you will likely need to understand Matplotlib to make certain customizations or even to understand the inevitable errors!  More importantly, the book goes beyond simply teaching how to use Matplotlib; it serves as a guide to designing “CLEAR” , informative visualizations, illustrated with many interesting hands-on examples.  

Effective Visualization is another book by Matt along similar lines as Effective Pandas. This book delves into the fundamentals around Visualization and helps you build your knowledge from the ground up. It takes you on a journey to explore the possibilities one can achieve in Visualization. Unlike other books, this book also depicts the code used to generate the visualization. This book provides real life examples and how it can provide value to the end user.

Effective Visualization offers a beeline path to extracting meaningful stories from your data. By focusing on what is important, its "best tool for the job" approach will help you convey your message in the most efficient way. It covers a lot of ground, its code examples offer ample opportunities to tinker along the way, and the numerous exercises will help you easily internalize each chapter’s concepts. Overall, Matt's book is well structured; it can be read from cover to cover and will also act as a valuable reference you'll definitely return to!

Part guidebook, part recipe book, Matt provides a solid, modern (circa 2025)  introduction to generating plots that both tell an effective story and look good with just Python, Matplotlib, and Pandas. Any practitioner will have his or her own preferred toolbox once experienced, but this book provides an excellent start, and each reader can modify Matt’s approach to craft their own Effective Visualizations.

Effective Visualization accompanies readers from the basics of plotting in Python to creating professional-grade charts using intriguing questions and real data. It teaches you not just how to create a chart but how to tweak it, improve it, and tune each detail until you've crafted a story. And you'll become a better Python programmer along the way. If, like me, you're sick of books and tutorials that are simple encyclopedias of basic charts built with tired data, read this book!

Matt Harrison's Effective Visualization is the latest book in the Treading on Python Series.  Drawing from his wealth of experience as data science consultant and author, Matt presents a practical guide to using Matplotlib -- a Python-based library for creating visualizations.  This is a must-have book for any data practitioner.  

Matt Harrison has gone and done it again with his latest book, Effective Visualization. If you’re looking for great, real-world coverage of Python’s matplotlib library (as well as discussions of plotting with pandas), you’ll find it all here. Like his other books, Effective Visualization is packed full of examples that have been tested and sharpened as a result of Matt’s extensive teaching and consulting practice. I cannot recommend Matt’s work highly enough.

Effective Visualization is a must-have guide for anyone working with data. Matt Harrison expertly simplifies complex visualization techniques using Pandas and Matplotlib, empowering readers to create impactful and engaging visuals. The CLEAR method provides a practical framework for crafting compelling data stories, making this book an invaluable resource for both beginners and experienced professionals. I highly recommend this book for elevating your data storytelling skills.

I’ve been following Matt on Twitter for a long time (the fact I’m calling it Twitter gives you a hint of how long it's been). Effective Visualization is a great guide for any one working with data, beginner or pro. His take on complex subjects is unique and he guides you through with a breeze, with proposed exercises you are sure to grasp the concepts. I can't recommend it enough.

Effective Visualization is a go-to reference for anyone who loves data story-telling with Python.  I enjoy the way Matt digs in, exploring ideas from different angles using an array of approaches, many of which might not be immediately obvious.  I’ll be coming back to it again and again.

The book is packed with actionable techniques, affirmations, and guided exercises that allow readers to practice visualization regularly. Whether you’re seeking to improve an existing skill set or manifest career success, this book provides the tools to help you visualize and attain your desires.

Effective Visualization is a game-changer for anyone looking to gain a solid understanding of the mechanics of data visualization in Matplotlib and Pandas and a practical framework for harnessing those mechanics to transform data into compelling narratives. Matt Harrison takes a ground-up approach to teaching the nuts and bolts of these important libraries to give the reader a foundational skill set that can be honed and built upon, and the CLEAR method distills his years of data storytelling experience into an accessible rubric. If you want an efficient, no-nonsense guide to creating professional visualizations in Python, this is the book for you.

Effective Visualization is an essential guide for data professionals who want to master matpotlib and pandas, especially for those leveraging method chaining introduced in Effective Pandas. This book does not tackle the grammar of graphics or other frameworks of data visualization. Instead, it is laser-focused on the practical implementation of popular Python libraries. Matt Harrison provides a hands-on, code-driven approach to transforming real-world raw data into compelling visual stories. Like his other works, Matt presents a cultivated and opinionated approach to data science. When read and applied together, they will surely aid you in creating clear, impactful, and compelling visual narratives.

If you're looking for a book to quickly get up to speed on how to maximize your Pandas and Matplotlib game, look no further - Effective Visualization and Matt Harrison show you step-by-step through the CLEAR method what it takes to create professional-grade visuals for your data needs. I highly recommend this!

This book is packed with simple to complex usage of different plots used in diverse settings in terms of datasets, techniques, and domains. Packed with many tips and tricks, it takes a beginner from using common naive approaches to producing production and publication quality graphs that tell a story. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to up their game in data visualization.

Storytelling is at the heart of Effective Visualization. Matt’s new story-driven approach, CLEAR, drives home the importance and practice of creating compelling, story-driven visuals through delightfully well-chosen example datasets. This is a book I will certainly be coming back to.

As someone new to telling a compelling story with data and visualizations, I find Matt Harrison’s instruction to be excellent.  Effective Visualization is full of pragmatic guidance that is simple to follow and elegant in its outcome.  This is a book that I will come back to again and again.

Matt Harrison's book Effective Visualization using Python makes a strong first impression with its clear introduction and showcase of compelling plots. The preface effectively targets data professionals and aspiring visual storytellers, setting appropriate expectations for practical, code-driven learning.

The book covers a solid range of essential visualization types, from histograms and scatter plots to bar and line charts, all within the Matplotlib ecosystem. It smoothly progresses from basic figure and axes manipulation to advanced customization techniques like annotations and multi-panel layouts, suitable for both beginners and those looking to refine their skills.

Harrison's writing is clear, direct, and accessible, avoiding jargon and focusing on practical application. Code examples are accurate, well-explained, and consistently build upon each other. The exercises at the end of each chapter are relevant, reinforcing the concepts and encouraging hands-on practice.

Overall, this book is highly recommended for anyone seeking a practical guide to data visualization with Python. It is a valuable resource for creating impactful and insightful visuals.

Effective Visualization by Matt Harrison is a valuable resource for data professionals seeking to enhance their storytelling skills. The book delves into practical implementation based on matplotlib. Matt adopts a code-driven approach to transforming raw data into compelling visual narratives, presenting a nuanced and opinionated perspective on data analytics. The book serves as both a comprehensive textbook on fundamental principles and a reference guide for pandas and matplotlib code, providing numerous examples and techniques to create effective plots while avoiding common pitfalls. Additionally, Matt introduces relevant machine learning techniques for visualization in an accessible and creative way. Effective Visualization is a great resource for anyone passionate about data storytelling with Python. I am sure that I will be using the book as a reference in my projects.

If you want to get started creating visualizations (graphs, etc.) or want to enhance your skills and you are comfortable with pandas, this is the book for you. It provides big-picture guidance; lots of practical examples with code and explanations; and it can serve as a reference manual.

Effective Visualization is full of valuable insights for anyone seeking to improve their data visualization skills. This book not only gives real-world examples/code samples but also guides, the core of visualization, how to create story-driven, compelling, and impactful visualizations with CLEAR method. Highly recommend to anyone who is into visualization.

Effective Visualization by Matt Harrison is an essential guide for any data enthusiast looking to craft compelling, data journalism-quality visualizations using Matplotlib and Pandas. Throughout the book, Harrison introduces and applies his CLEAR method to a variety of unique datasets, walking readers through each step of the process to create impactful, story-driven visuals.

More than just a visualization guide, this book also dives into data manipulation with Pandas, emphasizing Harrison’s signature approach to method chaining—a technique that enhances both readability and efficiency in data workflows. Building on the foundations laid in his previous book, Effective Pandas, this latest work bridges the gap between data exploration and visualization, making it an invaluable resource for analysts, journalists, and Python users eager to elevate their data storytelling skills.

I just wanted to share a new book in my collection from Matt Harrison - Effective Viz. I truly believe anyone who works with Data can learn a couple of things on how to tell a better story with its visualization. Some people think this is only for Data Scientists, but I am sure you have seen some presentations with a chart and thought... ahh okay, but secretly, you would have loved to see something that inspired you, triggered change, motivated you... like the presenter probably intended. So check this book out.

If you’re looking for a new read on visualizing data effectively, then I strongly recommend checking out Matt's new book, “Effective Visualization.”

I am already 100 pages into the book and can confidently state that it’s a phenomenal addition to his “Treading on Python Series” which includes “Effective Pandas,” a well-known book that explains and demonstrates how to write readable and performant Pandas code.

This book explores the core principles of data visualization using Python with Matplotlib and Pandas. It features real-life examples to illustrate various data visualization principles, concepts, and storytelling techniques.