A Course in Game Theory [Paperback]

Martin J. Osborne (Author), Ariel Rubinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0262650401 | ISBN-13: 978-0262650403 | Edition: First

A Course in Game Theory presents the main ideas of game theory at a level suitable for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, emphasizing the theory's foundations and interpretations of its basic concepts. The authors provide precise definitions and full proofs of results, sacrificing generalities and limiting the scope of the material in order to do so. The text is organized in four parts: strategic games, extensive games with perfect information, extensive games with imperfect information, and coalitional games. It includes over 100 exercises.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I recommend this book highly, it is beautifully done..." Robert Aumann , Hebrew University

About the Author

Martin J. Osborne is Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto. Ariel Rubinstein is Professor of Economics at Tel Aviv University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; First edition (July 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262650401
• ISBN-13: 978-0262650403
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid, concise textbook, June 22, 2000

By 

Valter Sorana - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Course in Game Theory (Paperback)

This text is a solid introduction to game theory for mathematical economists at the graduate level (but apparently logicians love it, too). In principle, the book could be read by someone without any prior knowledge of game theory, but I would strongly advise such a reader to spend some time on a less "dry" text (such as Kreps's "A Course in Microeconomic Theory") before (or at least while) taking up this one.

The authors (like Myerson's "Game Theory" and unlike both Kreps and Fudenberg and Tirole's "Game Theory") cover both non-cooperative and cooperative game theory, with a nice balance.

Two topics not covered in other major texts are "Complexity Considerations In Repeated Games" (Chapter 9) and "Implementation Theory" (Chapter 10). The implementation theory chapter is a wonderful introduction to the topic, but is unfortunately limited to the perfect information case (mechanism design under imperfect information is covered by both Fudenberg-Tirole and Myerson.)

The only application of game theory to which the authors devote considerable space is bargaining (those who know the authors won't be surprised!) - and its treatment could have been a little less abstract.

In sum, it is a very good book that is not dominated by (nor dominates) any of its competitors cited above. If I were to teach a graduate game theory course, I would probably adopt it as the major text and supplement it with papers and parts of the other books.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An essential course in game theory., January 27, 2003

By 

Joseph Clark (Brisbane, QLD. Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Course in Game Theory (Paperback)

This was one of the first books I read in Game Theory, and definitely the hardest. Those who want a gentle introduction to the concepts of modern game theory might do better with a simpler text such as Gibbons. That said, there is no substitute for quality. The depth of analysis is entirely necessary to get to the meat of the theory.
Osborne and Rubinstein write extremely well, softening the blows of some of the more complicated concepts. Their own substantial publication records in the Game Theory literature do much to recommend their version of analysis over others.

47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe for class but not for personal exploration..., June 2, 2003

By 

Douglas Calvert (Manlius, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Course in Game Theory (Paperback)

I agree with a previous review that this book is not good for individuals. Solutions to the excersizes are only available to educators. If the book is assigned for a class and the teacher has access to the solutions and can coach the student through the excersizes this is probably a great book because of it's depth. It is probably also a good reference book for those already familar with the subject.
However if you are like me and were looking for a strong book that will help a motivated individual learn game theory this book is not for you. I have tried many of the excersizes and I am still not positive that I my answers are correct. The material in the book is very complex but accessible, that is not the problem. The problem is the lack of development because I can not go over my answers to the excersizes and see what I did right and what I did wrong...