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Around the World in 80 Games

A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games

Marcus du Sautoy

$47.99

Hardback

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English
Fourth Estate Ltd
31 January 2024
'BRILLIANTLY CLEAR AND CAPTIVATING PROSE' STEPHEN FRY

A WATERSTONES BOOK OF YEAR 2023

An award-winning mathematician explores the maths behind the games we love and why we love to play them.

Where should you move first in Connect 4?

What is the best property in Monopoly?

And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors?

Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in 80 Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding maths can help us play games better, and how both maths and games are integral to human psychology and culture.

For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in 80 Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and the maths behind them, shape who we are.

By:  
Imprint:   Fourth Estate Ltd
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 240mm,  Width: 159mm,  Spine: 36mm
Weight:   600g
ISBN:   9780008525910
ISBN 10:   0008525919
Pages:   384
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Marcus du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Wadham College. He has been named by the Independent on Sunday as one of the UK's leading scientists, has written extensively for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph and has appeared on Radio 4 on numerous occasions. He is the author of ‘The Music of the Primes’ and has presented ‘Mind Games’ and ‘Music of the Primes’ on BBC television. He was the Royal Institution Christmas lecturer in 2006, broadcast on Channel 5, and is filming ‘The Story of Maths’ for the BBC. In October 2008 he was appointed to Oxford University’s prestigious professorship as the Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, a post previously held by Richard Dawkins. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

Reviews for Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games

‘Whether your game is Go, Dungeons and Dragons, or Chocolate Chilli Roulette, you'll find this book adorable. It's lively, creative and humane – exactly as one would expect from Marcus du Sautoy’ Tim Harford, author of How To Make The World Add Up ‘The book encapsulates the very essence of human ingenuity and our intrinsic love for play and exploration. You do not need to be a seasoned player nor a skilled mathematician to relish in this enchanting read. However, this book may just encourage you to become the one or the other’ Reiner Knizia, award-winning game designer


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