Gnuplot in Action: Understanding Data with Graphs 2nd Edition

After reading the first couple of chapters, I was up and running. I like the author's writing style, but I don't like the way the book is typeset.

Excellent. Practical and clear. But should include more examples of graphs.

I have the 2010 edition, so things might have improved considerably in the more recent edition. All I can say is that the book took too much time to do everything. Right off the bat, it would have been great to have a data set introduced, a script (.p extension [not covered in the book!]) showing how to plot the data, set axis limits, put the title on the graph along with x- and y-axis labels, etc.Data (in file "DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt") would look like what's in the attached picture.The script--let's call it "EE.p"--would look like this:set xrange [-60:60]set yrange [0:1]set xtics 10set ytics 0.1set title "Ensquared Energy"set xlabel "Half Field of View (degrees)"set ylabel "Ensquared Energy"set key bottom centerplot "DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:2 t "-0.0020 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:3 t "-0.0018 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:4 t "-0.0016 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:5 t "-0.0014 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:6 t "-0.0012 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:7 t "-0.0010 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:8 t "-0.0008 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:9 t "-0.0006 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:10 t "-0.0004 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:11 t "-0.0002 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:12 t "-0.0000 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:13 t "+0.0002 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:14 t "+0.0004 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:15 t "+0.0006 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:16 t "+0.0008 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:17 t "+0.0010 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:18 t "+0.0012 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:19 t "+0.0014 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:20 t "+0.0016 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:21 t "+0.0018 in" w lp, \"DOF_EE_gnuplot.txt" u 1:22 t "+0.0020 in" w lpThen, at the gnuplot prompt (gnuplot>), just type: load "

gnuplot is *the* scientific plotting package, and indispensable for anyone who does technical analysis. This book is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in gnuplot. It can be used for beginners as well as long-time gnuplot users -- clearly written and many insightful examples. I have been a gnuplot user for twenty years, and I still return to this text regularly for ideas. The second edition also includes specific additions for gnuplot version 5, which has many new features you'll want to learn about.