Penguin Books Ltd

Why are we so often unwilling to accept that life is unpredictable? In this book, the author distils his idiosyncratic wisdom to demolish our illusions, contrasting the classical values of courage, elegance and erudition against modern philistinism and phoniness.

Everyone wants to succeed in life. But what causes some of us to be more successful than others? Is it really down to skill and strategy - or something altogether more unpredictable? This book intends to change the way you think about business and the world.

Tough times don't last. Tough people do. In this book, the author shows that highly improbable and unpredictable events underlie almost everything about our world.

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.

No one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp, who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia, however, longs only for caddish soldier George.

When economics meets psychology, the implications for individuals, managers and policy makers are both profound and entertaining. Coupling recent discoveries in human psychology with a practical understanding of incentives and market behaviour, the author enlightens readers about how to make smarter decisions in an increasingly mystifying world.