{"product_id":"casanovas-lottery-9780226820798","title":"Casanovas Lottery","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fascinating story of an important lottery that flourished in France from 1757 to 1836 and its role in transforming our understanding of the nature of risk.    In the 1750s, at the urging of famed adventurer Giacomo Casanova, the French state began to embrace risk in adopting a new Loterie. The prize amounts paid varied, depending on the number of tickets bought and the amount of the bet, as determined by each individual bettor. The state could lose money on any individual Loterie drawing while being statistically guaranteed to come out on top in the long run. In adopting this framework, the French state took on risk in a way no other has, before or after. At each drawing the state was at risk of losing a large amount; what is more, that risk was precisely calculable, generally well understood, and yet taken on by the state with little more than a mathematical theory to protect it.    Stephen M. Stigler follows the Loterie from its curious inception through its hiatus during the Fre\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The book [stands] witness to the remarkable skills of the author, who searched for related material for more than thirty years, from Parisian specialized booksellers to French, English, and American archives. He manages to bring a wealth of connections and characters into the story, such as Voltaire’s scheme to take advantage of an earlier French state lottery aimed at reimbursing state debtors.”  * CHANCE *\u003cbr\u003e“In 1758, the French state launched an unusual lottery suggested by famed Italian gambler Giacomo Casanova. It lasted until 1836, with a three-year gap during the French Revolution, providing 4% of national income at its peak. However, every time it was drawn, the state was at risk of losing a large amount, with ‘little more than a mathematical theory to protect it,’ writes statistician Stigler as he tells the lottery’s story for the first time.”  * Nature *\u003cbr\u003e“I recommend Stigler’s new book \u003ci\u003eCasanova’s Lottery\u003c\/i\u003e to anyone interested in the history, economics, ethics, and politics of modern-day lotteries. Among other things, Stigler not only traces the history of the French \u003ci\u003eLoterie\u003c\/i\u003e, the first large-scale commercial lottery in history, he also examines the mathematics of risk, including the epic back-and-forth debate over the ‘maturity of chances,’ or so-called gambler’s fallacy, and the politics of legalized gambling generally.”  * Prior Probability *\u003cbr\u003e“Stigler’s statistical expertise enables him to undertake an analysis beyond the skill of many (maybe most) historians. . . . \u003ci\u003eCasanova’s Lottery\u003c\/i\u003e will be of interest to historians of gambling, finance, and probability, not least for the clearly explained statistical analyses. Moreover, Stigler’s lucid and elegant prose makes the book an engaging read for a wide audience.” * European History Quarterly *\u003cbr\u003e“This excellent book blends compelling mathematical content with fascinating historical context as it describes the remarkable story of the French lottery (Loterie) established in 1757. . . . Stigler relies on a rich array of primary source materials, including rediscovered original lottery documents, for evidence of sound mathematical calculations that supported the French state’s willingness to risk significant loss during each individual draw due to the assurance of longer-term gains.” * British Society for the History of Mathematics Neumann Prize Committee *\u003cbr\u003e\"Stigler draws on a particularly fascinating historical case study, about which he has incredibly deep knowledge and which he is able to transmit in meticulous detail and in delightfully lucid prose. The writing is absolutely clear and readable—a wonderful example of the possibility of writing about serious scholarly matters in a way that invites the reader along and allows the reader to share in the author's expertise, rather than either excluding the non-expert reader or talking down. It's remarkable how accessible Stigler makes the technical material on probability and statistics, again without any simplifications that would take away from the seriousness of the treatment. This is truly an unusually well-written book.\" -- Justin E. H. Smith, author of The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is\u003cbr\u003e\"Stigler is unrivaled in his ability to elaborate subtle points of probability and statistics for broad audiences and to integrate discussion of these technical concepts with lively narrative and historical analysis. He masterfully integrates the practicalities of betting strategy and lottery administration with higher-level intellectual debates about risk, probability, and the ethics of gambling. Entertaining and highly informative.\" -- William Deringer, author of Calculated Values: Finance, Politics, and the Quantitative Age\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e One\u003cbr\u003e    Casanova\u003cbr\u003e Two\u003cbr\u003e    The Genoese Lottery\u003cbr\u003e Three\u003cbr\u003e    The Establishment of the Loterie\u003cbr\u003e Four\u003cbr\u003e    Problems and Adjustments in the Early Drawings\u003cbr\u003e Five\u003cbr\u003e    Antoine Blanquet and the Great Expansion of 1776\u003cbr\u003e Six\u003cbr\u003e    The Introduction of Bonus Numbers: Les Primes Gratuites\u003cbr\u003e Seven\u003cbr\u003e    The Spread of the Loterie in Europe\u003cbr\u003e Eight\u003cbr\u003e    Data Security: The Design of the Tickets\u003cbr\u003e Nine\u003cbr\u003e    The Loterie and the Revolution\u003cbr\u003e Ten\u003cbr\u003e    Was the Loterie Fair?\u003cbr\u003e Eleven\u003cbr\u003e    Dreams and Astrology: The Bettors and the Loterie\u003cbr\u003e Twelve\u003cbr\u003e    The Number 45 and the Maturity of Chances\u003cbr\u003e Thirteen\u003cbr\u003e    How Much Did They Bet, and Where?\u003cbr\u003e Fourteen\u003cbr\u003e    Muskets, Fine-Tuned Risk, and Voltaire\u003cbr\u003e Fifteen\u003cbr\u003e    The Loterie in Textbooks and Manuals\u003cbr\u003e Sixteen\u003cbr\u003e    The Suppression of the Loterie in 1836\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Appendix 1. Probability\u003cbr\u003e Appendix 2. Laplace’s Lottery Theorem\u003cbr\u003e References\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"The University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864242237783,"sku":"9780226820798","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780226820798.jpg?v=1722271033","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/casanovas-lottery-9780226820798","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}