Product Description

When John Nash won the Nobel prize in economics in 1994, many people were surprised to learn that he was alive and well. Since then, Sylvia Nasar's celebrated biography A Beautiful Mind, the basis of a new major motion picture, has revealed the man. The Essential John Nash reveals his work--in his own words. This book presents, for the first time, the full range of Nash's diverse contributions not only to game theory, for which he received the Nobel, but to pure mathematics--from Riemannian geometry and partial differential equations--in which he commands even greater acclaim among academics. Included are nine of Nash's most influential papers, most of them written over the decade beginning in 1949.

From 1959 until his astonishing remission three decades later, the man behind the concepts "Nash equilibrium" and "Nash bargaining"--concepts that today pervade not only economics but nuclear strategy and contract talks in major league sports--had lived in the shadow of a condition diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia. In the introduction to this book, Nasar recounts how Nash had, by the age of thirty, gone from being a wunderkind at Princeton and a rising mathematical star at MIT to the depths of mental illness.

In his preface, Harold Kuhn offers personal insights on his longtime friend and colleague; and in introductions to several of Nash's papers, he provides scholarly context. In an afterword, Nash describes his current work, and he discusses an error in one of his papers. A photo essay chronicles Nash's career from his student days in Princeton to the present. Also included are Nash's Nobel citation and autobiography.

The Essential John Nash makes it plain why one of Nash's colleagues termed his style of intellectual inquiry as "like lightning striking." All those inspired by Nash's dazzling ideas will welcome this unprecedented opportunity to trace these ideas back to the exceptional mind they came from.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #271331 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
One of the most beautifully designed economics books I have ever seen and at a low price. -- Ariel Rubinstein, The Times Higher Education Supplement

One of the most beautifully designed economics books I have ever seen and at a low price. . . . Why are we so intrigued by the story of John Nash? We are curious to understand a person who proves theorems we are unable to fathom. We imagine the voices from another world he has heard. We ask where he was for 30 years during which he walked among us but wasn¹t here. We are frightened and we are attracted by this combination of 'crazy' and 'genius', an invitation for visiting the edge of our own minds. -- Review

[This book] explains [Nash's] work and reprints his most famous papers. It is just as amazing as his personal story. -- Chris Giles, Financial Times

Review
If you want to see a sugary Hollywood depiction of John Nash's life, go to the cinema. Afterwards, if you are curious about his insights, pick up a new book that explains his work and reprints his most famous papers. It is just as amazing as his personal story.
(Chris Giles Financial Times )

One of the most beautifully designed economics books I have ever seen and at a low price. . . . Why are we so intrigued by the story of John Nash? We are curious to understand a person who proves theorems we are unable to fathom. We imagine the voices from another world he has heard. We ask where he was for 30 years during which he walked among us but wasn't here. We are frightened and we are attracted by this combination of 'crazy' and 'genius', an invitation for visiting the edge of our own minds.
(Ariel Rubinstein The Times Higher Education Supplement )

Any mathematician who read A Beautiful Mind . . . had to be looking for the appendices--the ones explaining what Nash actually did to earn his formidable reputation within the mathematical community. Well, here they are, in a beautifully produced volume. . . . Kuhn, Nasar, and the other contributors have performed a most welcome service by collaborating to bring together the pieces missing from A Beautiful Mind. . . . The mathematical community is eternally in their debt.
(SIAM News )

The book is written in a pleasant and informal style, addressed to a large audience.
(P.T. Moranu Mathematica )

Review
John Nash's creative work in game theory has of course had the most profound influence on both its mathematics and its practical applications in economics. It is very good to see his work in this area joined with his other mathematical contributions in a single volume, to give a more rounded perspective.
(Kenneth J. Arrow, 1972 Nobel Laureate in Economics )

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Reading
Even without the Nobel Prize for Economics, the outstanding movie by Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind"), or the exceptional biography by Sylvia Nasar (also "A Beautiful Mind"), Professor John Nash would a legend. While cursed with severe mental illness, Dr. Nash was and is an extraordinary man. His contributions to game theory were so ahead of their time it took over 30 years for economists and business leaders to apply them fully. When they were applied, they advanced everything from international trade talks and arms control treaties, to radio frequency auctions and the study of evolutionary biology. Dr. Nash's work has had a profound, highly practical impact on negotiation and decision making throughout business and government. He created a path toward win-win solutions to complex, multi-party agreements.

This book is largely a collection of Dr. Nash's own writings, each a significant contribution to mathematics or economics. Nash's papers are thoughtfully introduced and explained - thankfully so given the complexity of Nash's writings. Also included is Nash's own touching and revealing autobiography.

The result is a compelling glimpse inside the thought processes of a genius - a beautiful mind indeed. Thanks to Harold Kuhn and Sylvia Nasar for pulling this wonderful collection together.

the genius of Nash
I bought this book for my husband who has a PhD in Economics. I was relieved that although he had learned many of Nash's theories this book still provided new ideas. I do not have the mathematical background like my husband, but I can still follow the arguements and theories. I like this book. I was surprised at how relevant his ideas are to not only academic disciplines but also to decision making in daily life. Truly, only by exploring a person's ideas can we come close to knowing a person. Only by reading the writings of Nash can we come close to appreciating and understanding the genius of John Nash.

The story of John Nash through mathematics
It is indeed a rare occasion when a mathematician is the subject of a popular, award winning movie. John Nash was the subject of the recent hit movie, "A Beautiful Mind." However, that is almost totally due to the human interest aspects of his battle with paranoid schizophrenia rather than his mathematics. The focus of this book is on his advances in mathematics, done by reproducing his early papers.
Like so many excellent mathematicians, Nash also did some work in recreational mathematics, and he independently invented the game now known as Hex. Played on a board of hexagonal sections, the object is to create a continuous chain of your color from one side to the other. A short chapter explains the basis of the game, although it does not do justice to the complexity .
Nash's work in game theory is outstanding, and the reason why he won the Nobel prize in economics. The bulk of the book is a recreation of his seminal work in this area, with his Ph. D. thesis being presented twice. The first is a photocopy of the work and the second is the thesis in text form. In reading the material, it is easy to see why it has applications in so many areas.
Nash was also interested in computing and he wrote an imaginative paper on parallel computing, which is included in the book. Given the state of computing at the time it was written, it shows imagination and fundamental understanding of the basics of computing.
The last two papers in the book deal with manifolds. The first concerns real algebraic manifolds and the second examines abstract Riemannian manifolds. Once again, you can see aspects of genius in the papers and avenues for further exploration.
It is a mathematical tragedy that John Nash was almost totally unable to work for so many years. In fact, when it was announced that he had won the Nobel prize, many were surprised to hear that he was still alive. In reading these papers from the early years of his career, it is clear to see that had he not became ill, he would have had a shot at being labeled the best mathematician of the century. Long after memories of the movie have faded away, Nash's work will still be applied to the problems of the world.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.