Writers – Peak Age of Production (Number of Books Released, by Age and Gender)
graph from Information Is Beautiful; slow reveal by Jenna Laib
Type of Graph: line graph
Purpose
This slow reveal is designed to support analysis and discussion of both the data and the design choices. The questions in the slide deck invite learners to examine trends, relationships, and possible interpretations. This graph invites students to notice patterns, discuss scale, consider how the data was collected, and compare data.
About This Graph
This visualization is not provided for reuse or redistribution. Readers and educators are encouraged to view the original visualization in its published context.
Original Visualization:
Information Is Beautiful, “Peak Ages of Productivity for Authors, Painters, Musicians & Scientists.” InformationIsBeautiful.net, 2026. Accessed at: https://informationisbeautiful.net/2025/peak-ages-of-productivity-for-authors-painters-musicians-scientists/
Data Sources:
- Kanazawa, Satoshi. “Why Productivity Fades with Age: The Crime–Genius Connection.” Journal of Research in Personality, vol. 37, no. 4, 2003, pp. 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00538-X.
- Miller, Geoffrey F.. “5 Sexual selection for cultural displays”. The Evolution of Culture, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999, pp. 71-91. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474467889-007
In The Classroom
There are many different mathematical connections that can be made to this data and data visualization.
Potential Math Content: line graphs, intersections, slope, scale along the y-axis, scale, data collection/research methodology, comparing data,
Potential Content Connections: gender, art, science, books
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