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Oliver Theobald
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Machine Learning for Absolute Beginners: A Plain English Introduction Paperback – April 3, 2017

by Oliver Theobald (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 490 ratings
NOTICE: To buy the newest edition of this book (2021), please search "Machine Learning Absolute Beginners Third Edition" on Amazon. The product page you are currently viewing is for the First Edition (2017) of the book.

Ready to spin up a virtual GPU instance and smash through petabytes of data? Want to add 'Machine Learning' to your LinkedIn profile?

Well, hold on there...

Before you embark on your epic journey into the world of machine learning, there is some basic theory to march through first.

But rather than spend $30-$50 USD on a dense long textbook, you may want to read this book first. As a clear and concise alternative to a textbook, this book offers a practical and high-level introduction to machine learning.

Machine Learning for Absolute Beginners has been written and designed for absolute beginners. This means plain English explanations and no coding experience required. Where core algorithms are introduced, clear explanations and visual examples are added to make it easy and engaging to follow along at home.

This title opens with a general introduction to machine learning from a macro level. The second half of the book is more practical and dives into introducing specific algorithms applied in machine learning, including their pros and cons. At the end of the book, I share insights and advice on further learning and careers in this space.

Disclaimer: If you have passed the 'beginner' stage in your study of machine learning and are ready to tackle deep learning and Scikit-learn, you would be well served with a long-format textbook. If, however, you are yet to reach that Lion King moment - as a fully grown Simba looking over the Pride Lands of Africa - then this is the book to gently hoist you up and offer you a clear lay of the land.

In this step-by-step guide you will learn:

• The very basics of Machine Learning that all beginners need to master
• Decision Trees for visually mapping and classifying decision processes
• Regression Analysis to create trend lines and predict trends
• Data Reduction to cut through the noise
• k-means and k-nearest Neighbor (k-nn) Clustering to discover new data • Bias/Variance to optimize your machine learning model
• How to build your first machine learning model to predict video game sales using Python
• Careers in the field

Add the Kindle version of this book (valued at $3.99 USD) to your Amazon Kindle library free at no extra cost.

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  1. Print length
    167 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 3, 2017
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.42 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    152095140X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1520951409
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 3, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 167 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 152095140X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1520951409
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.42 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 490 ratings

About the author

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Oliver Theobald

Oliver Theobald

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Based in Tokyo, Oliver is an experienced technical writer specializing in the technology sector, with full-time experience at TikTok for Business, Alibaba Cloud, and Ant Finance, and freelancer experience with Qualcomm and Hitachi. His bestselling machine learning book series for absolute beginners has helped thousands of readers from non-technical backgrounds grasp core concepts in machine learning, AI, Python, data analytics, and statistics through engaging and accessible explanations written in plain English.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
490 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book effective at explaining machine learning principles and tools, making it an excellent introduction to the subject. Moreover, they appreciate its readability, describing it as a highly visual and easy-to-navigate reference book. Additionally, customers consider it worth the investment in both time and money.

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IntroductionEase of readReadabilityValue for money
45 customers mention "Introduction"39 positive6 negative

Customers find the book provides a good introduction to machine learning principles and tools, making it an excellent resource for beginners.

"...It is the perfect stepping stone to other more lengthy options." Read more

"This book lives up to its name as a well-put together guide for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS...." Read more

"...The author gives an overview of data science that distinguishes machine learning from data mining, artificial intelligence, etc. I found this useful...." Read more

"...I felt the pace of the book was very manageable and each concept is well explained with clear points, often backed up with visual illustrations...." Read more

22 customers mention "Ease of read"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, appreciating its clear prose and highly visual presentation.

"...winner because I was able to get through right to the end of it with ease and without confusion...." Read more

"...ML but as a beginner in the field, I find that having an easy to navigate reference book for the algorithms I need to learn to become an ML expert..." Read more

"...The author handles the subject with brevity but clear prose...." Read more

"...book was very manageable and each concept is well explained with clear points, often backed up with visual illustrations...." Read more

16 customers mention "Readability"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and appreciate its content, with one customer noting it's a short Kindle book that serves as the best introduction to machine learning.

"The book is short and moves along fairly well. What do you get?..." Read more

"Read many ML books and this one is the BEST intro book to ML! Gives readers a comprehensive high-level view of a complex subject...." Read more

"At the time of this evaluation, this book has great content...." Read more

"Good first read on the subject of Machine Learning. You will want to dig deeper after reading this book...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the investment in both time and money.

"great book. absolutely worth the investment in both time and money...." Read more

"...As it says "for the beginners". But a worth taking your time starting point. Recommended to all" Read more

"Got more than my moneys worth!..." Read more

"Decent Resource..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • simone smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Got more than my moneys worth!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased two introductory e-books on Machine Learning. One cost me $20 and this one cost me $3. The $20 book had 399 pages but I got so completely lost before hitting page 100 that I gave up in defeat. (My iPad Kindle app doesn’t have page numbers, so I can’t tell you exactly what page I was on but it seemed like I had been reading forever).

    Then I found this $3 book – Machine Learning for Absolute Beginners – was not only short but it came out as the clear winner because I was able to get through right to the end of it with ease and without confusion. So turns out I got more than my money’s worth here with this book!

    And on top of that, this book was clear, well-written and a definite confidence builder. The knowledge I’ve gained from this book regarding ML models and basic algorithms gives me more confidence to go back to the other more expensive book for a second attempt.

    In summary, if this is your first foray into Machine Learning then this here is your book! It is the perfect stepping stone to other more lengthy options.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Carlos O. Pabon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Short but worth it
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The book is short but I think that's it's strong suit. I suspect it's usefulness will wear off as this information becomes more foundational knowledge through my research into ML but as a beginner in the field, I find that having an easy to navigate reference book for the algorithms I need to learn to become an ML expert is very useful.
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  • Ghia Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short but sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book lives up to its name as a well-put together guide for ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS. The author handles the subject with brevity but clear prose.

    It answered a lot of my questions and the blank spots I had re: what’s the difference between ML and standard computing programming and how ML works in terms of statistical modelling.

    The book doesn’t go too deep into any particular part of ML but the chapter on ANN was particularly insightful in tackling a fairly challenging subject within ML.

    As a standalone book it won’t be enough to train yourself to become a machine learning engineer – although it does include a chapter on job & study options – so it really should be used as an entry point to ML and not a comprehensive guide. To be honest, I’d still be CLUELESS if I went to my CLI today and wanted to start a machine learning model. But for a few bucks this book has done its job and I feel much more confident tackling other introductory resources to Scikit Learn and Tensorflow now that I have all the basic principles and terminology fresh in my head.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Joseph F Petrie Jr
    3.0 out of 5 stars Machine Learning title is misleading
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book's name is misleading. About 50% of the book is dedicated to reiterating the concepts that you will have learned in classical statistics. While I found this greatly reassuring there is very little information about the actual process of machine learning and more information about the salaries, classes offered, and degree programs you can enlist in.

    While I did learn a couple of valuable things, I would not recommend this book to anyone who has taken statistics or understands the basic concept of how SEO and algorithms work. It doesn't go in depth into how machine learning works.

    I would recommend this to people who have not taken statistics before although you may also need to read another book specifically on statistics to get the concept
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Dr. Nesr
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners, but!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The book is just as described, for absolute beginners, I think it has a bit deeper vision or some examples, quizzes, or exercises to help the reader reinforce the idea.
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  • fitzalling
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you are interested in a data science/machine learning, read this book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The book is short and moves along fairly well. What do you get? The author gives an overview of data science that distinguishes machine learning from data mining, artificial intelligence, etc. I found this useful. He gives specific examples of how machine learning is implemented in marketing and elsewhere. Different types of algorithms, some supported by humans and some not, do the machine learning or data mining or other data science. The author does not go into great depth on these algorithms, which is consistent with his goal of providing an overview for beginners.

    The book has some math. Once again, I think this is included to alert a beginner that understanding and working with math is mandatory to work in this field. The author lists job titles and salary ranges for jobs in the data science/machine learning fields.

    If you or someone you know think that data science may be a career in which you would be interested, I recommend the book.
    22 people found this helpful
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  • Nikki Rachelson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Decent Resource
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    As a beginner I felt the pace of the book was very manageable and each concept is well explained with clear points, often backed up with visual illustrations. You get a good context on what is ML, the algorithms that power ML, and guidance on further learning careers. This book is not a substitute for a textbook but would be a nice complementary resource for anyone starting out in this subject. I feel that business folks or journalists who don’t have a lot of time to sit down and learn this advanced field and who need a rapid snapshot of ML would do well to read this book. As a title geared to ‘absolute beginners’, I would not recommend to more advanced stage learners to read this book. For me though it hit the spot. Would look forward to a second title in this series if there is one.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Ruben D. Trevino Gonzalez
    4.0 out of 5 stars What I expected
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great introduction to machine learning, which is a term that gets confused a great deal.

    Clear and simple, in my case, it's all I needed, but it can get you started, if you want to go deeper.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • CB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nice introduction but do not expect code
    Reviewed in Spain on September 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    If your are willing to get an overview of main AI techniques and applications this is a good starting point; but do not think you will be able to code one after reading the book.
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  • Ralf Jeffery
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent primer
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    As someone who left school with no more than a maths O level, I have been looking for something to explain the basis of ML without delving into complex maths or expecting the reader to be a computer science grad.
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  • Fabricio Salinas
    4.0 out of 5 stars Buen punto de entrada
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Es un libro que explica lo necesario para adentrarse en el maravilloso mundo de Machine Learning. Altamente recomendable para aquellos que quieran iniciar y desconozcan los conceptos básicos.
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  • RK
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Go-To-Guide for Machine Learning!!!
    Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Extremely easy to read and understand through concept description and example, well written and endless content.
    Great read so far!

    RK
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  • Paul
    5.0 out of 5 stars EXCLLENT
    Reviewed in France on February 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Nikel.
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