Introducing Data Science

About the Cover Illustration

The illustration on the cover of Introducing Data Science is taken from the 1805 edition of Sylvain Maréchal’s four-volume compendium of regional dress customs. This book was first published in Paris in 1788, one year before the French Revolution. Each illustration is colored by hand. The caption for this illustration reads “Homme Salamanque,” which means man from Salamanca, a province in western Spain, on the border with Portugal. The region is known for its wild beauty, lush forests, ancient oak trees, rugged mountains, and historic old towns and villages.

The Homme Salamanque is just one of many figures in Maréchal’s colorful collection. Their diversity speaks vividly of the uniqueness and individuality of the ...