Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein

“Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk” is a comprehensive history of man's efforts to understand risk and probability, beginning with early gamblers in ancient Greece up to modern chaos theory. Bernstein explains how the notion of bringing risk under control is one of the central ideas that distinguishes modern times from the distant past. He demonstrates that understanding risk underlies everything from game theory to bridge-building to winemaking.