Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction (Dover Books on Mathematics) Subsequent Edition

This is my "Goldilocks/Babybear" game theory book. Not too hard, not to soft, just right.Without calculus, Davis provides a complete introduction to an arcane but useful mathematical discipline. The Compleat Strategyst: Being a Primer on the Theory of Games of Strategy by Williams was too soft. It used the simplest possible methods to address the concepts being discussed, and barely acknowledged some of the most interesting topics in game theory. Games and Decisions: Introduction and Critical Survey by Luce and Raiffa was good, up until you hit the calculus (pretty quickly in each chapter), after which I have no basis to form an opinion.Davis hits all the important concepts of game theory without resorting to sigma notation or even more occult symbols (unlike Luce and Raiffa). He does, however, require a fairly solid understanding of algebra, (unlike Williams). With this fairly humble prerequisite knowledge, Davis takes the non-mathematician where he or she needs to go, and provides a fairly complete level of understanding.I would recommend this one as a perfect sequel to Williams, should the reader not be challenged, or as a stand-alone for the marginally mathematically literate (such as myself) who need a practical understanding of mathematically grounded decision making.E. M. Van Court

As above

Davis' book suffers from its very nature -- it attempts to explain a highly technical, that is, mathematical, subject without using mathematics. Davis is only partially successful in avoiding the use of mathematics; given the almost impossible nature ot the task, he does quite a good a job at explaining game theory.The chapters on zero sum games hold together nicely and manage to leave the reader with an understanding of their nature as well as how to arrive at a Pareto-optimal solution. (Small rant: It drives me absolutely bonkers when I hear business school grads tossing around the word "Pareto" as if they had any idea of what they spoke!) When non-zero sum games are introduced, however, Davis simply cannot overcome the complexity of trying to explain multi-variable solutions with mere words. He resorts to quasi-mathematical explanations or makes assumptions that would not be at all obvious to the lay reader.This book is an excellent refresher in game theory, or a good primer for those with some knowledge of the topic and some intuitive mathematics.

Overall, giving three stars because I learned something I didn't know before. However, the cadence was very choppy and didn't provide much insight over a simple internet search.Each chapter attempted to flow as follows: description/definition, hypothetical examples, commentary. The bulk of each chapter contained hypothetical examples that unfortunately were not that relatable. The examples often shifted in parameters and premises, so it was taxing to figure out if I was reading a 'new' example, or one that was intended to build off of a previous one. There wasn't enough description/definition for my taste, and although the commentary attempted to tie it together, it was generally weak and superfluous. Hindsight - for the degree to which this book informs, I could've educated myself for free.

A very well written book which I have not yet finished but the first six chapters are excellent. Chapter 2 is a must.

Although the Book Description on the Amazon webpage claims that the offerings are the Revised Edition, some of the books may be the original version which is significantly different.

Excellent view of matrix behavior!

The book is very well written, and surprisingly easy to read, considering how dry the subject matter can be at times. Gives a very nice introduction to the topic, and finishes off with a more formal discussion of some advanced topics.If you are a mathematician, this book is probably excruciatingly easy for you, and probably has little academic value. But, if you are a layman, with an interest in systems and games, it really gives you a lot to think about, and a new way to think about it. It introduces a method of determining possible outcomes, as well as giving a nice overview of more sophisticated concepts, should you decide to explore the topic more fully.Each chapter begins with some questions to consider while reading, and detailed answers to help at the back of each chapter. The only real issue I found with the book is that the questions are missing from chapter one, yet the answers are there. Odd.