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The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
The Black Swan The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
What have the invention of the wheel, Pompeii, the Wall Street Crash, Harry Potter and the internet got in common? Why are all forecasters con-artists? What can Catherine the Great's lovers tell us about probability? And, why should you never run for a train or read a newspaper? — This book is all about Black Swans: the random events that und...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780141034591
ISBN-10: 0141034599
Publication Date: 2/28/2008
Pages: 366
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 3

3.7 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable on + 105 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
A tough read more suited to the intellectual than the casual reader. Taleb is far more academic (although he scorns academia) than the more entertaining and storytelling Malcolm Gladwell (Tipping Point)

There are certainly a few nuggets to be found throughout and the premise is memorable, but the diatribe against the Gaussian bell curve is brutally tedious and Taleb writes in a first person style that can come across as self-serving or patronizing.

It was a real chore to make it through.

2 stars out of 5
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