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|  | Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Publisher: Random House
List Price: $28.00
Buy New: $16.14
as of 11/21/2009 23:16 CST details
You Save: $11.86 (42%)
New (33) Used (13) Collectible (1) from $16.14
Seller: zp_books
Rating:  432 reviews
Sales Rank: 2447
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2 Updated
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1400067936
Dewey Decimal Number: 123.3
EAN: 9781400067930
ASIN: 1400067936
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ALL BOOKS ARE BRAND NEW!
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 432
 Decent Introduction to a Worthy Topic August 13, 2009
Chris Edwards (San Deigo, CA USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I usually review books that are great or terrible. I wasn't going to write a review but then I figured that the books I choose to review would have a selection bias. Thanks to this book, a lot of nagging questions I have about the nature of luck and randomness were verified to be nagging questions that at least one other person has too. The author and I definitely share a lot of concerns about the hubris of the typical market participant. I liked this book because it uses examples to highlight how people tend to misunderstand probabilities and become vulnerable to various cognitive biases which he covers. I didn't, however, feel like this book was a comprehensive treatment of this topic. It didn't really delve into mathematical discussions of randomness as known to information theory. It didn't provide a comprehensive catalog of neurologically based cognitive defects humans generally suffer from. It didn't outline any particular strategy for investing or forecasting. What this book did was to discuss all of these topics with a focus on getting the reader to be a little more thoughtful about the role luck plays in investing. If you think of yourself as a careful investor, then this book is worth a read to reinforce your approach. (Confirmation bias?) What I didn't like so much about the book was that the author is clearly an insufferable snob. I am too, but I don't write books underscoring that fact. His literary style was comfortably readable if not ideal and it seemed we shared many philosophical points of view. The author is definitely intelligent and capable, but his tone makes him seem like a total wanker, someone you would not want to be stuck in an elevator with even if he was going to help straighten out your mistaken investment ideas. The partial redemption of this condescending attitude was the admission that by calling every human stupid (i.e. irrational) he must necessarily be stupid too. He didn't leave the impression that he believed it, but he did at least say it. So, the author's an idiot (like everyone) but he does seem to be trying to come to terms with that. In fact, it does seem that he's getting rich from it. If you're interested in randomness, and cognitive biases in conjunction with conservative investing, go check this out from the library. I'll be returning it today.
 Fooled by Randomness worth a second or even third read!! August 3, 2009
Michael J. Hammel (Garden Grove, CA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a must read for anyone who wonders why "stuff happens." Explains why a "hot hand" isn't neccessarly earned but rather being at the right palce at the right time.
 Fooled out of my money to purchase this book July 27, 2009
Walter J. Andersen (Germany)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book starts out fine and there are some interesting stories through which one can get an idea of a good investment mindset. Also some interesting interpretation of statistics that I found useful. Then the book turns to an egotistical rant of "news pundits" and other investors. Some of them are justified but naming names in a sarcastic and biting manner just takes the strength out of what the author is trying to say. By the end of it I was not sure what he was trying to say other than he does not pay attention to Amazon reviews nor does he listen to his critics. Deny their existence and there is not a problem as the problem is not there. I thought the tone became "I am better than you and very sophisticated as well" which is a shame as it became noise from which no rationale signal emerged. Reading the glowing reviews of "experts" printed on the cover leads me to surmise that the current financial crisis was caused by these and similar "experts" with no grounding in the real world other than to purr and preen each other.
Interesting enough July 20, 2009
Jeff Elias (Dallas, TX)
Some interesting anecdotes, but nothing really practical here, other than the warning that life is random, and you can't expect it to be anything but random. A more useful book is something like "How to Lie with Statistics." Still, it was interesting enough to pass a plane flight with.
Well worth the read June 30, 2009
Jon in Florida (West Palm, Florida)
This book is awesome. The author, Taleb, is focusing his theory primarily on the stock market but it can also be viewed through every aspect of ones life. Great book.
Showing reviews 6-10 of 432
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