[ECONOMICS] [MILITARIA] Von NEUMANN, John; MORGENSTERN, Oskar

Theory of Games and Economic Behavior

Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1947. Revised Second Edition. Octavo. 24cm. Publisher's deep brown cloth with red and gilt titles to spine. Dustjacket. [xviii]; 641pp. Some light scuffing to corners, and a little light bumping and rubbing to the spine ends, clean and bright; topstain red, internally clean and fresh, with some informed underlining and emphasis from a previous reader in the early part of the text; in a clean dustjacket with a portion of loss to the joint of the front and rear flaps, toning, most heavily to the spine panel, and shallow chipping and loss to the spine ends with old tape reinforcement to the verso of the jacket. A very good, handsome copy of an important book, in a dustjacket that has seen some wear. Shows very well.

Von Neumann and Morgenstern were the first theorists to build a framework for the analysis of strategic decision making, ostensibly in "game" environments but essentially expanding that framework out over a significant portion of human interactions. The basic supporting member is that each decision maker will attempt to improve their own situation and maximize their own outcomes, thus making their choices at least partially predictable and measurable. Much like Mackay's "Extraordinary Popular Delusions" ["The Madness of Crowds"] in 1841, "Theory of Games" is one of those works that changed enormously how we think about human interaction, and the concepts of free will and independent decision making. The influence of this work has in one form or another extended into a myriad of different fields; from military intelligence, via the stock market and economic, to computing, and how we decide to lay out supermarket shelves. Fiercely collectible since publication, early printings are thin on the ground.

Price: $3,500.00

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