Buy new:
$66.50
FREE delivery: Monday, April 22
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
List Price: $70.00 Details

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Save: $3.50 (5%)
FREE Returns
In Stock
$$66.50 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$66.50
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Very Good. Cover, binding, and dust jacket in very good condition. Pages are clean with no markings. This is a used book and may still contain an inscription or other minimal marking(s) on the first page(s). May show slight signs of wear on covers or dust jackets, especially near corners and edges. Ships from Amazon!
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
$57.77
+ $3.99 shipping
Sold by: SuperBookDeals---
Sold by: SuperBookDeals---
(41575 ratings)
72% positive over last 12 months
Usually ships within 6 to 7 days
Shipping rates and Return policy
Added
$64.95
& FREE Shipping
Sold by: BOOKS etc. _
Sold by: BOOKS etc. _
(21919 ratings)
89% positive over last 12 months
In Stock
Shipping rates and Return policy
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Theory of Games and Economic Behavior: 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition (Princeton Classic Editions) 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

4.5 out of 5 stars 207

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$66.50","priceAmount":66.50,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"66","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"50","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Blm5CCfjOVhV4svb%2Fi0bgSaHf%2Fms3nbHWJBQNKhYemRKpz1ZK1S398Xoh1VbNIBEqS9aehv%2FuasLwA0Y78EQubhuApWDknpq51GSLivEPVDsQchseRjZmGh3H%2BgkTSObCrYRmkc90Wk%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$48.99","priceAmount":48.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"48","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Blm5CCfjOVhV4svb%2Fi0bgSaHf%2Fms3nbHxt3xO8YLXN059p5hG1U%2B5usFURARmMqLgPiAiF0Td8lo4qymWoP%2BJV%2BXU2ONtmbVzsHrINB96ZpuqjkHH%2FrcIfi2DaQ%2BZyfHPdhJgQERAS85yx27cCjroSN%2BGsmqmDxYEFGfzMoKt%2FnIqHcVEsdT7RESc5ErkzFb","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

This is the classic work upon which modern-day game theory is based. What began more than sixty years ago as a modest proposal that a mathematician and an economist write a short paper together blossomed, in 1944, when Princeton University Press published Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. In it, John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern conceived a groundbreaking mathematical theory of economic and social organization, based on a theory of games of strategy. Not only would this revolutionize economics, but the entirely new field of scientific inquiry it yielded--game theory--has since been widely used to analyze a host of real-world phenomena from arms races to optimal policy choices of presidential candidates, from vaccination policy to major league baseball salary negotiations. And it is today established throughout both the social sciences and a wide range of other sciences.


This sixtieth anniversary edition includes not only the original text but also an introduction by Harold Kuhn, an afterword by Ariel Rubinstein, and reviews and articles on the book that appeared at the time of its original publication in the
New York Times, tthe American Economic Review, and a variety of other publications. Together, these writings provide readers a matchless opportunity to more fully appreciate a work whose influence will yet resound for generations to come.


Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

$66.50
Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 22
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$17.10
Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 20
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$14.99
Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 22
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: "A rich and multifaceted work. . . . [S]ixty years later, the Theory of Games may indeed be viewed as one of the landmarks of twentieth-century social science.""---Robert J. Leonard, History of Political Economics

"Praise for Princeton's previous edition: "Opinions still vary on the success of the project to put economics on a sound mathematical footing, but game theory was eventually hugely influential, especially on mathematics and the study of automata. Every self-respecting library must have one.""
---Mike Holderness, New Scientist

"While the jury is still out on the success or failure of game theory as an attempted palace coup within the economics community, few would deny that interest in the subject--as measured in numbers of journal page--is at or near an all-time high. For that reason alone, this handsome new edition of von Neumann and Morgenstern's still controversial classic should be welcomed by the entire research community."
---James Case, SIAM News

"The main achievement of the book lies, more than in its concrete results, in its having introduced into economics the tools of modern logic and in using them with an astounding power of generalization." ―
The Journal of Political Economy

"One cannot but admire the audacity of vision, the perseverance in details, and the depth of thought displayed in almost every page of the book. . . . The appearance of a book of [this] calibre . . . is indeed a rare event." ―
The American Economic Review

"Posterity may regard this book as one of the major scientific achievements of the first half of the twentieth century. This will undoubtedly be the case if the authors have succeeded in establishing a new exact science--the science of economics. The foundation which they have laid is extremely promising." ―
The Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society

About the Author

John von Neumann (1903-1957) was one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century and a pioneering figure in computer science. A native of Hungary who held professorships in Germany, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in 1933. Later he worked on the Manhattan Project, helped develop the IAS computer, and was a consultant to IBM. An important influence on many fields of mathematics, he is the author of Functional Operators, Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, and Continuous Geometry (all Princeton). Oskar Morgenstern (1902-1977) taught at the University of Vienna and directed the Austrian Institute of Business Cycle Research before settling in the United States in 1938. There he joined the faculty of Princeton University, eventually becoming a professor and from 1948 directing its econometric research program. He advised the United States government on a wide variety of subjects. Though most famous for the book he co-authored with von Neumann, Morgenstern was also widely known for his skepticism about economic measurement, as reflected in one of his many other books, On the Accuracy of Economic Observations (Princeton). Harold Kuhn is Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Economics at Princeton University. Ariel Rubinstein is Professor of Economics at Tel Aviv University and at New York University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; 60th Anniversary Commemorative edition (April 8, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 776 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691130612
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691130613
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 207

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Oskar Morgenstern
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
207 global ratings
Most Important Buy!
5 Stars
Most Important Buy!
Came late due to global warming, but the weather always changes, can you?
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2014
I read this book when I was a teenager, in the early 1960s. I found that it explained a lot of things about game theory, but found it went into detail in some places, and I turned to Dresher's Theory of Games of Strategy and Luce and Raiffa's Games and Decisions for simpler explanations. I ordered the book now to look at what I studied so long ago. It is indeed highly detailed - the detail surprised me in some cases. And I found that the theory it presents can't always be applied to the real world. But I liked the book so well that I ordered it in 2013, or more than 50 years later.
31 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017
Kindle format is done really well for this version of the economist's gold standard. As with all breakthrough works, it met with abuse and misuse but has stood as a pillar of modern theories for decades. Must have for know-it-alls the world over, or if you're a hipster looking to impress with the book cover "casually" displayed on your smart device. No Beautiful Mind without it.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2021
Came late due to global warming, but the weather always changes, can you?
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Most Important Buy!
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2021
Came late due to global warming, but the weather always changes, can you?
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer image
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020
I bought another book so I could understand this one. I am not a smart man.
51 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2011
Dear Readers

2 Feb 2013

Johnny forgot about the Entropy in physical systems.

At least, he never "put it in" the analysis.

Once you put that in the analysis, everything will "work out".

Best Regards

sjw

I'm going to love this book. In fact I love it so much I want to review it even before I even read it.
This is the first book I ever bought at least that I can remember by Von Neumann and it probably won't be the last. Yes and I'm proud to say from Amazon.

In the first chapter of the book the authors outline arguments for the construction of a new theory of economics/politics using a totally different approach than what has been tried before.

Section 2.1........................Rational Behavior

Section 3.1.....comes the key notion of utility.........and from this directly comes the "metric". That is the "utility function".

This concept is the key to understanding perhaps all social behavior that before this could not be accurately described
mathematically.

Of course when you say Economic behavior you could mean anything. Including of course "War". Any decision, any choice any game in which you can win, lose, draw or get something or lose something.

I intend to mean game in the widest sense. Even choosing the medicine you take.

The cure for cancer existed in 1957. How come Johnny never got it?

sjw
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2020
Eventhough I could absorb the main ideas, the book is not an easy read, but the section of conclusions and reviews helped a lot to better understand.
5 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2012
A fundamental book in the application of the theory of games in the social sciences, it compares the application of games to social behavior with similar progress in the physical Sciences; and anticipates similar progress . Apart from the first chapter which is on applications to Economics,the remnant seems to be on the theory of games
4 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2017
One of the best books ever written (if you can follow it). Be sure to get the print version, as the Kindle edition is full of errors.
19 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Bilal Alfnous
1.0 out of 5 stars Paper Quality
Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2024
I just don't understand why publishers keep using these garbage low quality paper. I don't mind paying more for a book with descent paper.
Zbyhnev
2.0 out of 5 stars Low print quality edition of a good book - hurts the eyes
Reviewed in Germany on December 3, 2021
The book is of course a classic, but this edition is a very low quality, blotchy, uneven print that looks like a photocopy of a photocopy. I will be returning it.
HJ
5.0 out of 5 stars This has got quite a lot more maths in it than one would necessarily expect.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2021
I bought this because I was sick of the lightweight treatment of Game Theory that can be found on the internet and wanted to go deeper - so I went to the source. I'd forgotten exactly how much maths is required for classical economics and this is absolutely no exception. The style isn't too bad if you're used to history, however the print isn't great, very dated reproduction and not even slightly crisp. Gets 5 stars because most of it's going to be totally beyond me, and life is pointless without a challenge.
4 people found this helpful
Report
Gio
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a masterpiece of logic and mathematics applied to economics
Reviewed in Italy on July 20, 2013
This is a masterpiece of applied mathematics to social science. From its publication the economic theory has been advanced and carried into a new world giving to the whole discipline the rigor of a science worth of this name.
Thanks especially to the most scintillating genius of the past century, John von Neumann, a whole new line of studies and research - the game theory - has started carrying different Nobel prizes in economics for researches in this field. This is another masterpiece of human intellect where it all began, simply a must have it!
2 people found this helpful
Report
Pierre Andre Rosset
5.0 out of 5 stars Mais...
Reviewed in France on December 16, 2012
... c'est vraiment trapu: il faut aimer les formules pleines de hiéroglyphes. Pour une approche moins ciblée sur le coeur du sujet, mieux vaut choisir un ouvrage généraliste sur l'ensemble des théories correspondantes.
6 people found this helpful
Report