"This collection of essays examines in witty detail the history of some of the concepts involved in bringing statistical argument "to the table" and some of the pitfalls that have been encountered. The title essay tells how the statistician Karl Pearson came to issue the challenge to put "statistics on the table" to the economists Marshall, Keynes, and Pigou in 1911. The 1911 dispute involved the effect of parental alcoholism upon children, but the challenge is general and timeless: important arguments require evidence, and quantitative evidence requires statistical evaluation."--BOOK JACKET.