You know what to expect with Dummies books. This one is actually a bit more advanced than the usual Dummies book. I got it because I was taking a class on R programming with one of the authors and read most of it through. Don't get this if you are really more interested in the statistical part of R. This is really a book about R PROGRAMMING. That is, the premise is that R is first a programming language, then, mostly used for statistics. But 80% of the book is about programming. Only at the end will you find a couple of chapters on describing data through statistics, then, through plotting.
I would not say this is the easiest introduction to R programming but it is still very clear and concise. ( )

Like most Dummies books, R for Dummies is for those who are absolutely new to R, a programming language used heavily in statistics as an alternative for the very pricey SPSS. I'm taking a statistics course through Coursera and this book was mentioned a few times. The book was very basic, covering essential beginner steps in programming (variables, functions, loops, etc.). Unfortunately for me, I have many years of programming experience with other languages, so the book didn't really interest me until the later chapters, which were a little too brief in the areas I wanted to learn more about (true statistical functions).

I read this through my workplace's subscription to Safari Books Online, and there's something odd reading computer code on the screen, and not as a book on your lap -- maybe I'm just old fashioned. Also, the Safari book had some elements missing, like the famous checklists the Dummies series usually have on the inside covers.

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LT Haiku:

R is a language
Perfect for statistics plus
Plotting charts and graphs. ( )