The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age

by Andrew Whitby

The fascinating three-thousand-year history of the census, revealing why the true boundaries of today's nations aren't lines on a map, but columns in a census tabulation

In April 2020, the United States will embark on what has been called "the largest peacetime mobilization in American history": the decennial population census. It is part of a tradition of counting people that goes back at least three millennia and now spans the globe.

In The Sum of the People, data scientist Andrew Whitby traces the remarkable history of the census, from ancient China and the Roman Empire, through revolutionary America and Nazi-occupied Europe, to the steps of the Supreme Court. Marvels of democracy, instruments of exclusion, and, at worst, tools of tyranny and genocide, censuses have always profoundly shaped the societies we've built. Today, as we struggle to resist the creep of mass surveillance, the traditional census -- direct and transparent -- may offer the seeds of an alternative.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, Social Science, Science, Sociology

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2020

Reviews

[Jacobus Cilliers · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to read! The book is extremely well-written and insightful. Who would have known that the history of the census would be so interesting? Andew Whitby gives us a whirl-wind tour of the history of the census, starting with Biblical times when the purpose of census was extraction - taxation and conscription - and state control. It's purpose slowly evolved, in line with the evolving role of the state, and the census became important for determining distribution of benefits and political power. Who gets to be counted thus became highly contentious. His description of the problematic role of the census administrators in Nazi-occupied Europe is fascinating, if frightening. And his narratives on post-apartheid South Africa's efforts at counting its new nation in record time was insightful and entertaining. And I loved the parallels that he drew between improvements in statistical theory and the growing importance of the census in society. Both have a dark history of eugenics.

The census remains in many ways a reflection of society. Reading about its history provides a fresh perspective on the history of the modern world.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strongly recommended by the Economist in
The big ask: A lively and enlightening history of the census .

It deserved that endorsement, and more. If you were paying attention to discussions about the census in the United States in 2020, you know that who is counted, and how, can matter a lot.

A census mediates who national identity. Earlier censuses tallied "white" people by their country of origin, Asians also, but only from the far east. But blacks were noted merely black, and nothing about others, such as those from Latin America. The indigenous people of the country weren't counted at all.

The book also tells of the danger of a census. Well, more specifically about a "national register", which tells the government where every single resident is and who they are. It turned out that in the countries with highly accurate registries of their population, the invading Nazis were much more efficient at finding and murdering their Jewish targets.

Lots more in there. Well worth reading.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe those nice people at Netgalley and Basic Books who sent me a free advance egalley of this book won’t be too happy when I mention this book in the same metaphorical breath as the section of The Week newsmagazine named Boring But Important. I did NOT think the book boring, but the Boring but Important section of the magazine regularly opens a window on stuff (e.g., Net Neutrality legislation) most of us don’t have the time or inclination to pay attention to, but which some people, some time, some where, are or were engaged in a titanic struggle about because the matter is, well, important. In this way, Boring but Important and Sum of the People are similar.

The history of censuses can start a long time ago, because apparently they are mentioned very early on in the Old Testament, and not in a very encouraging manner. In fact, the jealous and arbitrary God of the Old Testament apparently would think nothing of raining all manner of misery down on your sorry head if you conducted a census in a manner that displeased Him. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.

I hang around a church sometimes, and am condemned to attempt awkward conversation at the after-service coffee hour. Some of the other attendees have, unsurprisingly, spent a good deal of time studying the Bible. I asked them about whether the ancient proscription of certain types of censuses loomed large in the minds of the Biblically-inclined today. As I suspected, it does not. In fact, at first, those I asked claimed not to remember that censuses could be considered divine-wrath-generating before stopping, squinting, and saying, “Oh, yeah, there’s that bit in Leviticus…. Or is it Numbers?” However, none of them said that they intended to give this year’s US census a wide berth because of this prohibition.

These discussions were a substantial improvement on the usual coffee-hour conversation, which often consists of evaluations of recent meteorological trends and commentary on the freshness of the snacks.

Later on, the book states quite clearly that the most famous census in the Bible, the one that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, almost certainly did not take place as described in the New Testament and does not match up with the dates of censuses we know from non-Biblical sources.

The author zigzags across space and time to show that censuses often intersect with important places and moments, including present-day Palenstine, Domesday-book era England, Nazi Germany, Gilded Age USA, and elsewhere. At the end, it predicts the likely demise of the traditional once-a-decade census as it becomes, for better or worse, more and more possible than the population of nearly anywhere can be counted at will and in real time, due to the digital tracks we all leave now in the course of living a normal life.

In the strange times we live in now, even censuses can be bones of contention, and the book also addresses the attempts by the administration of Mr Trump to get a question about immigrant status on the census form. The administration’s attempt to do so in time for the 2020 census went down to defeat, but I don’t think we’ve heard the end of census-related controversy. Who knows? Maybe censuses news will someday graduate from Boring But Important to just Important.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of both the international history of the census but some of the major controversies surrounding counting everyone. Who knew that something as seemly dry as the census was connected to Nazi political control and the Holocaust, the book of Exodus, the idea of the surveillance state, increasing US political partisanship, civil rights struggles in Australia, Icelandic famine, eugenics, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (the section on the Palestinian census and its role in political activism was fascinating). All this and more was in the book, plus very clear explanations of statistical sampling, why some populations are routinely under-counted, and ways the US census (mandated by the Constitution!) has changed over time. A very accessible and fun book about a fascinating and important topic.

*Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lordoftaipo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is no mean feat to elaborate on such a niche topic—the census. I do not normally take notice of it, nor does it bother me as an ad hoc family affairs. The microcosm is clear: the census is losing popularity among newer generations.

Whitby is making a precarious case for its remaining. Most countries have a well-established register. It is only a matter of time before voters prefer cost-effectiveness over data privacy. Whatever spiritual connection between statisticians and the census is not vicarious. However, I can feel his passion as though he was introducing a friend to me.

Like many other faded out technologies, the census is as good as a phase. It might be forgotten one day, but not demography. It is perhaps my immoderation expecting more on the latter from this brochure of the census.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

After giving Tutuola's meandering fever dream, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, another attempt, I didn't expect to find my way back into that insane and confused state so soon, and from the auspices of historical examination of the census.

It's a very intriguing premise marred disastrously by its aimless presentation and incessant authorial asides in which Whitby attempts to build assumed statistical sandcastles on shaky postulations of manipulation of data while simultaneously and casually dismissing other data points which, according to his own claims, could contradict the points he's attempting to make. Manipulation, perhaps, may be too strong a word; inordinately selective may be more appropriate. Of course any narrative around data and statistics is always going to be a contentious battleground, and one upon which such very serious social, political, and economic decisions are made is going to be especially vitriolic.

It is not his claims I have difficulties with; by all means, present and own them as such. It's not the topics covered, nor the attempt to present the power of the census as a major force of history--it absolutely is, and is a truly brilliant idea for a polished writer to attempt. It's Whitby's decision to set out on that attempt and casually traipse by a number of areas of history, social concerns, and various political talking points which are influenced and affected by the counting of people, and which are very much furiously contested within their fields and in which no true consensus has been agreed upon while so casually dismissing them and assuming his own position based on a few gleaned numerical aggregates.

He does present many significant, interesting and desperately important aspects of what counting a population can mean, culturally, socially, historically, economically, and even individually. Those portions of the book are fascinating. Unfortunately, they're buried under the aforementioned wandering authorial asides, and the acutely dismissive assumptions of other professional fields' work and opinions which, at the very least, have equal bearing and lucidity on many of the matters presented. Numbers and statistics are a means to an end, certainly not an end unto themselves. They can speak to a narrative and provide informational context, but, much to many peoples' consternation and concern, numbers are not a narrative in and of themselves. Much like the labyrinth of law and malleability of language, numbers can be manipulated to say what the storyteller (or data scientist) wants them to say.

The issues that drove my distaste for this book were twofold. The first was his lack of humility before the power of narrative within something as historic and powerful as the counting of people, in many different ways, for many different reasons, with many different outcomes, across vast expanses of human history. The second was his inability to maintain focus on a single topic for any length of time, and to move toward a cohesive point within any chapter, resulting in a book that is filled with interesting tidbits of historical statistical fallout, drowning in an ocean of aimlessness. He wields the information with an unearned (narratively speaking) authority with no sense of direction of cohesive and progressive thought. It's just information for information's sake. I'm beginning to wonder if Nicholas Carr has highlighted how the internet has and will continue to shape the space of all areas of literature in the decades to come.

This book, consciously or not, misrepresents itself as having an overarching narrative, but is nothing more than a poorly-compiled spreadsheet of noteworthy bits of information, which someone keeps pointing to as authoritative while ignoring valuable (and equally authoritative) input from others while rambling incoherently about their own life. Just like the information Whitby combs through as a data scientist, it needs to be provided with some level of concision, qualitative framing, and precision in order to be presented in a manner that means anything to anyone.

[charlotte (moerreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SUM OF THE PEOPLE is one of those rare books that encompasses the history of the world yet isn't somehow 3,000 pages long. Whitby traces the development of the census from biblical times into the empires of Rome and Greece, onto the conquest of the British Isles and the expansion of empire overseas, to the period of revolution in France and the United States, through the Industrial Revolution and up to modern day. The book reads like an exquisite and long-winding story, making stops along the routes of history to teach about Mary and Joseph, Ben Franklin, Pocahontas, Thomas Malthus, and so many more. So much more than we realize has gone into the development of something that seems so simple--counting people.

I had some reservations going into this because I wondered how anyone could possibly fill an entire book on the census and make it interesting, but every single point mentioned felt relevant and added to my understanding. As someone who majored in Middle East studies, it made my heart happy that the book starts with examples regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanon's confessional form of governance, situations which both intensely involve the census-taking (or lack thereof) within their borders.

My sole complaint with this book is that the section on the Holocaust seemed to veer into discussions of the violence unnecessarily and it made me uncomfortable because it seemed out of place with a book of this type. But overall, I loved the book a lot!

If you've never heard of Margaret Sanger, google her immediately and/or read this book. If you want to know about the history of birth control, or Thomas Malthus, or South Africa's census after apartheid, read this book!


Thank you Netgalley and Perseus Books for the chance to read this book early! My first nonfiction eARC 🥰

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To count is to have value, to matter. To be counted is to be included, and, perhaps, to be known" (pg 22).

I enjoyed the book; however, after a few chapters, my eyes started to get cross-eyed and I'd forget what was discussed in the previous chapter, even as I read this throughout the span of nearly a week. Sometimes, I felt like he discussed certain topics in a little too much detail that I'd get a bit lost. It was quite interesting to learn about the census and how it has evolved, especially after a year (2020) in which no one saw coming, and, was ironically, a census year...which made people-counting a whole lot more difficult.

I appreciate that he started the book in talking about the census taken of the entire Roman world that led Mary and Joseph (and baby Jesus) to Bethlehem. However, I did not like his continuous put-down of religion throughout the book; discuss religion, fine, but bash it--not cool.

I also didn't like how Whitby discussed Margaret Sanger's role in advocating for birth control availability and how it related to the census, but left out the fact that she was a racist and supported abortions of African Americans to decrease their population numbers. That, to me, seems to be worth discussing in a book about people.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was briefly nervous when, in the prologue to The Sum of the People, Andrew Whitby noted that he was going to be selective in covering a long stretch of time, focusing on a handful of periods, with context provided for each. I anticipated wishing for a longer book, fewer holes in the history, and more discussion of minutiae, but this felt quite seamless (although, given how interesting The Sum of the People was, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it at much greater length as well, though I doubt the market would have existed for that) and I never felt that the narrative was wanting for details, nor that its coverage of necessary, or desirable, ground was shallow or nonexistent; indeed, I often couldn't pull myself away from it. Similarly, there was a lightness of tone in places early on that I thought might be cause for concern, but was abandoned once the book was fully in gear.

Whitby traces the history of the census over time, across fields including academia, statistics, philosophy, and politics, providing a sense of how the functions of the census have evolved and touching on all sorts of topics that have been illuminated by the census even though not directly related to its taking. The details of the value placed on the census in various cultures are highly interesting, as is the circularity of the census’s evolution, as its form is repeatedly dictated by the current political structures, technologies, and social behavior in place, and then its resultant influence on them in turn. We track how various ideas and practices developed over time, as well as the arguments for and against said developments that have persisted through the years.

Interesting to note is the gaps in history between when “advances” appear in actual use; developments that were first implemented by the Romans, for example, went dormant for thousands of years until revived by the gestating United States census, perhaps in part due to the influence of the Roman structure of government (if not the reverent value placed on censors, whose positions were the most senior and esteemed public office), and also a more modern environment that more easily permits the pursuit of similar ambition. Interesting too are the gaps in our understanding of history, such as the Incan arrangements of knotted cords that have been determined to be recordings of census results but have largely not been able to be decoded by scholars (an analogous scenario was recently avoided when in 2001, British population data from 1986, recorded on an already-obsolete laser disc format, was able to be retrieved by specialists).

We see the refinement of the census as a long-term project, approaching an impossible asymptote of perfect information as new technology, whether introduced in the census of the context or not, allows for increased sophistication. The accuracy of census counts begins to approach, over time, the seriousness of purpose with which the population data is analyzed, and the way in which the seriousness of that approach is itself honed, from being knowledge for its own sake, in the environment of the Enlightenment where that was newly valued, to being knowledge that, ideally, can be put to use in improving the lives of the people counted.

As the results of the census gain accuracy, they also gain power, and, like all forms of power, become something to co-opted and weaponized. They become deployed not simply to analyze society as it is but to create and enforce distinctions, by oppositionally defining othered groups, that can help to consolidate that power. Census results are susceptible as well to abuses, of privacy and otherwise, which leads to other lenses through which the results produced must be perfected, especially since collected information is difficult to destroy, leading to difficult decisions as census officials try to collect with care, finding a balance between gathering too much and too little information. The concept of completeness of data, without direct correspondence to individual people, arises, but also results in the danger of abstraction to the point of dehumanization, a loss of accuracy, as well as paradoxical circumstances such as being able to analyze, due to ingenious innovations, the degree to which reported values are incorrect and being able to make the necessary numerical adjustments, but being unable, in cases where circumscribed by government regulations, to report these more accurate approximations, instead reporting a less reliable, unrounded “total count” that purports to a degree of accuracy belied by the process.

Throughout The Sum of the People, this idea of having a number at the end of the census often seems more important to those behind the census than the accuracy of that number. This number can set things in motion, like the original apportionment of Congress following the U.S. census, in a way that concerns one, given the uncertain degree of accuracy, but such a number can also be potent as a symbol, regardless of accuracy, such as when marginalized populations are finally allowed to be represented as a statistical part of a nation’s population—not a resolution to their being treated as such, certainly, but still a crucial, if minimal, first step, that has been proven to bear great influence in the minds of members and non-members of such groups, and can help to drive further change.

Whitby’s writing slackens a bit towards the end, becoming diffuse as he wraps up a narrative with numerous threads, but it seems somewhat fitting for a discussion of an institution that is constantly undergoing change, lives life straddling the boundary between objectivity and subjectivity, and is constantly helping to incrementally re-shape societies and, eventually, itself. Much as the census gives us a clearer, if incomplete, perspective of the populations of individual countries and the world, The Sum of the People gives us a clearer perspective of the census itself, in all of its complexity.

[Alex Song · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripped through this book in one week. Super interesting book about the history of the census through human history. The history of IBM is absolutely fascinating and I loved the chapter surrounding WW2. Certainly raises a lot of topics about the census that I've never thought about before.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, maybe 3.75 stars

[Squirrel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A promising title, but only a biased presentation of select nearly random details. The author provides 'data' without sources, admits "there's no consensus", then extrapolates from the selected bits.

Early on, the reader can see this is not a proper academic effort. Even the cited 'authorities' are suspect. For example, the author uses the King James' Bible, a Christian interpretation, to reference the Book of Numbers, part of the Jewish Five Books of Moses. Written originally in Hebrew and Aramaic, would not a Jewish resource be preferred as closer to the source, for accuracy? Does it matter? Would a Buddhist source for the Koran be acceptable? The Vatican's translation of the Bhagavad Ghita? A Maori translation of Roman documents? A Burmese translation of Aztec glyphs?

The book also asserts 'facts' about politically-charged situations that are neither documented nor accurate. The author authorattively states "...but the international community believes" Really? What authority represents "the international community", which nations are represented there? Were Ghana, Bahrain, Cuba, Nigeria, Moldavia, Greenland, Kiribati, included in this assessment? Was there a vote, a meeting of prime ministers, or journalists, or even a literature review?

A well-researched history of the Census around the world would have been fascinating. Analysis of the implications, opinions on how it has been well used vs misused, discussion of appropriate applications with perhaps reasons to continue or change approaches, would have been icing on that cake. This is none of that.

This jumps around selectively, emphasizing conquerors and conflicts, with heavy promoting of the author's politics. Which makes even the basic 'history' aspect of the content suspect. Are those the best sources to cite? Are they accurate? What sources were discarded to create this tale, and based on what criteria? Where is the fact checking on this? The experts consulted?

Because sitting in a lecture and having a professor say "China conducted the first Census" does not make that a fact. Even adding the words "that we know of" or "where written records have been found" also do not make it a fact. This is the difference between fiction and fact - research, good faith efforts to uncover more and more truth, and most of all, overt statements about the extent and limits of the efforts and the findings. These qualifiers are notable absent from this assertive book.

The book is strongly assertive, but lacks valid authority, lacks the discipline of academic rigor or objectivity. The author mentions being on a journey to trace his own ancestors. What ancestors are those? Should that bias not be part of an introductory disclosure?

This is a personal discovery journey for the author, with some sources to pad it out, and should have been presented as such. This is unfortunately not the book the title advertises.

In fact, the 'predictions' for the 'future of the (US) Census' reveal ignorance as to what it takes to collect, process, and validate them, as well as a significant lack of understanding of how the data are currently used. Which, given the available mountains of free public information there for the looking at census.gov, supports the point that this work is a personal journey piece, not a reliable study.

The author's insight regarding the modern Census? "I did it online, so everyone will." What!? Does he also not bother to balance the checkbook or credit card statements either? He drives on the right side of the road, so everyone does?

This work seems to really be "One Person's Thoughts on Censuses in a Few Cultures at Different Points in Time."

[Popup-ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the Census, from antiquity to present-day.

Whitby pays special attention to the American censuses, as they were if not the first modern census (That was probably Iceland in 1703), nor the first continuous series of censuses (That's Sweden, dating from 1749), but indeed an important milestone, as it has a special place in the US constitution.

The census as we know it, was invented in 1790, and got a serious boost by Herman Hollerith in 1890 (the first punch card tabulators). The book then talks about the misuses of census data e.g. during WWII, both by the Nazis and by the US, where the census bureau was implicated in the Japanese internment. Since the late 20th century the need for the census has diminished. There are now continuously updated databases of most of the data that historically has been provided by the census. Maybe 2020 will be the last big round of censuses?

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

World Bank economist Andrew Whitby has enumerated a splendid insight into the history and uses of censuses. In The Sum of the People he details the early institution of population counts from ancient Sumer to Mary and Joseph’s return to Bethlehem to be counted in Augustus’ alleged census. Primarily used for taxation purposes the census evolved into a tool to allocate voting representation in the new US in 1790. Modern census counts did not take hold until the 1850’s. Some governments used the data inimically like the Nazis in the 1930’s or South Africa during my the apartheid years. China has finely honed data and identity cards to track the Uyghurs in chilling ways. While some resist the census as intrusive to privacy 2.5 billion people happily surrender more detailed personal data to Facebook. As we await census results today, this book reminds us of the productive and destructive uses of data and how technology can and likely will disrupt it all.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitby looks at the history of the census placing it an historical context.

"Nor does the modern census look much like the Roman one. Like any long-lived institution, the census has had many different, conflicting functions over its history. It arose to satisfy the administrative needs of despots yet eventually developed a crucial role in supporting democracy." 4

"Some countries have now abandoned the decennial enumeration altogether. Instead, they maintain population registers, databases of their citizens and visitors that are kept continually up-to-date enumeration superfluous. This started in the Nordic world and is now spreading to other countries in Europe and beyond. It's very likely that population registers represent the next phase in the long history of counting and classifying people." 20

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the history, evolving functions (nefarious ones included) and uncertain future of censuses. Whitby starts the book demonstrating the political importance that censuses can have by chronicling the lengths to which Palestinian organizations go through to establish a reasonably accurate and reliable census, and why they do so. He switches to the history of the idea of the census including those who opposed them for one reason or another. He tracks the evolving statistical complexity of censuses, especially during the 19th century in Europe, and the way in which the data collected was used for less than noble ends during the 20th century in Europe and in the US. He finishes the book by addressing the limitations of censuses, whether statistical or political, and the distrust that remains after the breach of statistical anonymity during the 20th century.

[Reggie Morrisey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Sum of the People as a thoroughly well done piece of writing, research and thought-provoking conclusions.
According to the publisher, the author “… traces the remarkable history of the census, from ancient China and the Roman Empire, through revolutionary America and Nazi-occupied Europe, to the steps of the Supreme Court.”
Indeed, it does, in intriguing fashion. The tale zig zags across time and space. I marveled at where Andrew Whitby's thoughts took him and me, from the Old Testament to 2020.
Given this year's shortened period for the U.S. census and the efforts of the current administration to fear monger, I can see how results can be twisted to hurt populous regions, just as they were twisted in the past to serve destructive ends.

[Anne Muha]

This is a triumphant work of nonfiction. I was really taken by Whitby's ability to take a topic that on its face appears dry and bureaucratic (and from my experience working for county government let me tell you: it is) and discuss it in an exciting and, most importantly, relevant way. In tracing the history of census-taking, Whitby intersects with the violence of colonial state-making, the planning and execution of genocide, as well as the controversial history eugenics and population control in a holistic manner (although he doesn't deliver quite the indictment of Malthus I was hoping for, and in some places, goes a bit too easy on the eugenicists). This is a great book I recommend to anyone planning a career in civil service, come and see the original sin of our work: statistics.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Very well written, and with a light, occasionally humorous style, it takes the reader through a few thousand years of attempts to count populations. Censuses have always raised ethical, political and practical issues--which I sort of knew--but, using interesting examples, Whitby shows us the ways that counting the people have actually formed them into nations or, in other cases, put them in danger. This was written just as the U.S. 2020 census was getting underway, and the author makes some intriguing predictions about the future of census-taking. Highly recommended to anyone with slightly nerdy propensities.

[Karim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts with lots of wordy filler on the ancient origins of what we come to know now as a census. Towards the middle we get an idea of how the census shaped emerging empires like Germany and later how they aided in the Holocaust and Asian Internment camps.

Very cool take that this age of information will likely kill off the census in an ironic twist of fate. I mean Facebook already knows more than most census data and not only that it’s expensive to get this data. The only reason we spend so much on it as a country is because of the political stakes of the results.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Така цікава книжка про такі нудні переписи населення! Це перша біг дата людства. :) З книжки я дізналася, що Україна далеко не єдина країна, чиї урядовці морозяться від перепису населення. І що не всі переписи були точними / всеохопними, але, на відміну від України, ці проблеми публічно обговорюються задля їх подальшого вирішення.
Також в цій книжці є історія преписів від часів Римської Імперії до сучасності (ненудна і несуха): підходи, технології, використання і, звичайно, зловживання даними. Щодо останнього - глава про внесок переписів у Голокост.

[Valarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book was available a couple of years sooner, so my League of Women Voters committee on the Census could have used it as source material.

This isn't just about the US Census (Whitby is Australian), but how census-taking evolved through history, how it's been done around the world, the positives and negatives of enumeration, the pitfalls of trying to count everyone equally and accurately, and its future.

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction and last chapter were interesting but I couldn't get into ther rest of it and didn't read it. Intersting political implications of the census. Last chapter talked about how it might change with the internet. I did my 2020 census online

[Mario D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book interesting, but at a point difficult to stay with. I suspect that if you are truly interested in the history of census taking this is the book for you. I'm probably more suited for a lengthy article on the topic.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the census, dating back to Jesus. It was meticulously researched and interesting. The central question is why do we count people and how? And the book answers it thoroughly. I wished it had focused more on equality questions, but it was worth the read.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great facts to gather about censuses across history. The book is uneven though. Couple of sections with a middle school history format. Good jumping off point for different subjects - government admin, structure of bureacracy, statistical analysis, or the history of atrocities.

[Nicky Rossiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting read. He writes well and gives us the information without overdoing the technicalities.
It shows us how the census developed and naturally it concentrates more on the post 1800 era.
It is full of fascinating insights and well worth seeking out.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite memorable but there are some interesting facts I didn’t know before that. This one withers out like how census is probably going to fade too.

[Mmoreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical view is very interesting. What will happen in the future is well discussed.