about the cover illustration

The figure on the cover of Statistics Every Programmer Needs is “Cafetzy,” or “A coffee vendor,” taken from the Album of Turkish costume paintings, a part of George Arents Collection. In those days, it was easy to identify where people lived and what their trade or station in life was just by their dress. Manning celebrates the inventiveness and initiative of the computer business with book covers based on the rich diversity of regional culture centuries ago, brought back to life by pictures from collections such as this one.