40 books like Classics in Game Theory

By Harold William Kuhn (editor),

Here are 40 books that Classics in Game Theory fans have personally recommended if you like Classics in Game Theory. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Primer In Game Theory

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

When the goal is to have an appealing introduction to game theory, with plenty of economic applications, there can hardly be any book better than this one.

It covers the core elements of game theory in a simple, yet careful, way, always illustrating them with expertly chosen economic problems. A must for anyone wanting to enter the world of game theory.

By Robert Gibbons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Primer In Game Theory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book's introduces one of the most powerful tools of modern economics to a wide audience - not only those who will specialize as pure game theorists but also those who will construct (or even just consume) game-theoretic models in applied fields of economics.


Book cover of Game Theory

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

This book is a great advanced textbook on game theory by two leading researchers on the field.

It describes the core elements of game theory in a formal and clear way, it has everything you want to know about it. It is the reference for those who want to learn game theory at an advanced level. 

By Drew Fudenberg, Jean Tirole,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Game Theory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This advanced text introduces the principles of noncooperative game theory in a direct and uncomplicated style that will acquaint students with the broad spectrum of the field while highlighting and explaining what they need to know at any given point.

This advanced text introduces the principles of noncooperative game theory—including strategic form games, Nash equilibria, subgame perfection, repeated games, and games of incomplete information—in a direct and uncomplicated style that will acquaint students with the broad spectrum of the field while highlighting and explaining what they need to know at any given point. The analytic material is accompanied by many…


Book cover of Stability and Perfection of Nash Equilibria

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

An excellent textbook on game theory which is unashamedly advanced: no shortcut is taken, no distractions, no simplifications, rather it goes straight to the point and all the details are there.

It is a great book for researchers to learn the important topics in game theory and its fine details. 

By Eric van Damme,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stability and Perfection of Nash Equilibria as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I have been pleased with the favourable reception of the first edition of this book and I am grateful to have the opportunity to prepare this second edition. In this revised and enlarged edition I corrected some misprints and errors that occurred in the first edition (fortunately I didn't find too many) and I added a large number of notes that give the reader an impression of what kind of results have been obtained since the first edition was printed and that give an indication of the direction the subject is taking. Many of the notes discuss (or refer to…


Book cover of Repeated Games and Reputations: Long-Run Relationships

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

Game theory has specialized in several topics; one of my favorites and one of the most important ones is repeated games since they describe and analyze the sort of ongoing relationships that most of us experience.

This book has it all: great examples and motivation, detailed and formal presentation of a very broad set of results. 

By George J. Mailath, Larry Samuelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Repeated Games and Reputations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Personalized and continuing relationships play a central role in any society. Economists have built upon the theories of repeated games and reputations to make important advances in understanding such relationships. Repeated Games and Reputations begins with a careful development of the fundamental concepts in these theories, including the notions of a repeated game, strategy, and equilibrium. Mailath and Samuelson then present the classic folk theorem and
reputation results for games of perfect and imperfect public monitoring, with the benefit of the modern analytical tools of decomposability and self-generation. They also present more recent developments, including results beyond folk theorems and…


Book cover of Essential Poker Math, Expanded Edition: Fundamental No Limit Hold'em Mathematics You Need To Know

Jared Tendler Author Of The Mental Game of Poker: Proven Strategies for Improving Tilt Control, Confidence, Motivation, Coping with Variance, and More

From my list on poker that every player needs to read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a leading expert in how your mental game impacts performance. For over a decade I’ve coached hundreds of poker players, including some of the best players in the world. My clients include numerous bracelet winners at the World Series of Poker, and winners of other major titles. I have a passion for helping players become great, and many of them have climbed the ranks to become among of the best in the world. Whatever you aspire to in poker, whether it’s making some money off your friends or competing in the WSOP, be sure to pick up the books I’ve recommended—they can make a big difference! 

Jared's book list on poker that every player needs to read

Jared Tendler Why did Jared love this book?

This book is one of the best-selling poker books of the modern era despite the author not being a household name. It is a brilliant and dense primer on poker math with the amateur in mind. Other poker math books have arguably been written with a more expert tone, but this one is ideal for a beginner.

By Alton Hardin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Essential Poker Math, Expanded Edition as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Expanded, Updated & Greatly Improved

New Expanded Edition Includes:

More Than 150 Pages of New Material with Greatly Expanded Content and 4 New Chapters Over 75 Carefully Devised Practice and Example Poker Hands That Are Analyzed in Great Detail Free Enrollment into My 10-Hour Essential Poker Math eLearning Online Video Training Course Poker Math Is Easy to LearnPoker math is a vitally important aspect of No Limit Hold’em poker. But, it's often overlooked or simply not used because many poker players fear it is too difficult to learn. I'm here to tell you it’s not. In fact, fundamental poker math…


Book cover of Game Theory

Felix Munoz-Garcia Author Of Game Theory: An Introduction with Step-by-Step Examples

From my list on learning Game Theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Professor of Economics at Washington State University. My research focuses on applying Game Theory and Industrial Organization models to polluting industries and other regulated markets. I analyze how firms strategically respond to environmental regulation, including their output and pricing decisions, their investments in clean technologies, and merger decisions, both under complete and incomplete information contexts.

Felix's book list on learning Game Theory

Felix Munoz-Garcia Why did Felix love this book?

This book is an extremely rigorous and formal presentation of Game Theory concepts to Ph.D. students.

The chapters about complete information games and repeated games are particularly superb relative to other advanced books in this field. It also offers chapters on cooperative games, which is quite uncommon in other books (both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.)

The coverage of signaling games, Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium, and equilibrium refinements is relatively brief compared to most other topics in the book, but the book is still great.

By Michael Maschler, Eilon Solan, Shmuel Zamir

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Game Theory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now in its second edition, this popular textbook on game theory is unrivalled in the breadth of its coverage, the thoroughness of technical explanations and the number of worked examples included. Covering non-cooperative and cooperative games, this introduction to game theory includes advanced chapters on auctions, games with incomplete information, games with vector payoffs, stable matchings and the bargaining set. This edition contains new material on stochastic games, rationalizability, and the continuity of the set of equilibrium points with respect to the data of the game. The material is presented clearly and every concept is illustrated with concrete examples from…


Book cover of Strategy: An Introduction to Game Theory

Felix Munoz-Garcia Author Of Game Theory: An Introduction with Step-by-Step Examples

From my list on learning Game Theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Professor of Economics at Washington State University. My research focuses on applying Game Theory and Industrial Organization models to polluting industries and other regulated markets. I analyze how firms strategically respond to environmental regulation, including their output and pricing decisions, their investments in clean technologies, and merger decisions, both under complete and incomplete information contexts.

Felix's book list on learning Game Theory

Felix Munoz-Garcia Why did Felix love this book?

This book is a short introduction to undergraduate-level Game Theory, with a special focus on basic games of complete information and contracts.

It avoids jargon, notation, or formal definitions but emphasizes economic intuition and offers many examples in each chapter. Some chapters require a good math background, making the book a good fit for students who already took at least one course in algebra and calculus.

By Joel Watson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Strategy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Joel Watson has refined his successful text to make it even more student-friendly. A number of sections have been added, and numerous chapters have been substantially revised. Dozens of new exercises have been added, along with solutions to selected exercises. Chapters are short and focused, with just the right amount of mathematical content and end-of-chapter exercises. New passages walk students through tricky topics.


Book cover of Game Theory: An Introduction

Felix Munoz-Garcia Author Of Game Theory: An Introduction with Step-by-Step Examples

From my list on learning Game Theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Professor of Economics at Washington State University. My research focuses on applying Game Theory and Industrial Organization models to polluting industries and other regulated markets. I analyze how firms strategically respond to environmental regulation, including their output and pricing decisions, their investments in clean technologies, and merger decisions, both under complete and incomplete information contexts.

Felix's book list on learning Game Theory

Felix Munoz-Garcia Why did Felix love this book?

An excellent game theory book for graduate students, especially for Master's students taking second-year elective courses on game theory, and even technical enough for the first-year Ph.D. Microeconomics course (since most schools spend most of the second semester covering game theory, contract theory, and applications.)

Rigorous, with detailed definitions and notation, yet accessible to senior undergraduate students at top schools (with a strong math background) or Master's students.

By Steven Tadelis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Game Theory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the principal ideas and applications of game theory, in a style that combines rigor with accessibility. Steven Tadelis begins with a concise description of rational decision making, and goes on to discuss strategic and extensive form games with complete information, Bayesian games, and extensive form games with imperfect information. He covers a host of topics, including multistage and repeated games, bargaining theory, auctions, rent-seeking games, mechanism design, signaling games, reputation building, and information transmission games. Unlike other books on game theory, this one begins with the idea of rationality and explores its implications for…


Book cover of UX Magic

Jeff Johnson Author Of Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Guidelines

From my list on making digital technology usable and useful.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been designing user interfaces since graduate school at Stanford, where I studied psychology and computer science. Over the five decades since then, I have designed many digital products and services, learning a lot about how to make them usable and useful. Two decades ago, I turned more towards sharing my knowledge and experience through writing (articles and books) and teaching (professionals and students). I’ve taught at Stanford University, Mills College, the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), the University of San Francisco, and at professional conferences and companies. Google invited me twice to speak in their Authors @ Google series, and ACM and SIGCHI have given me several awards.

Jeff's book list on making digital technology usable and useful

Jeff Johnson Why did Jeff love this book?

I like this book because it fills a gap in the UI/UX design process: getting from requirements to a final design. 

The title – UX Magic – is actually an insider joke among UI/UX designers: many software development managers believe expert UX designers somehow magically conjure up good designs from requirements.  There’s nothing magic about it. 

Instead, we use knowledge of human perception, cognition, and learning, task analysis, conceptual analysis, UX design guidelines, prototyping, and usability testing to narrow down and weed out design alternatives and progress towards good designs. 

Dan’s book explains how to do that.

By Daniel Rosenberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked UX Magic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It takes conviction to title a user experience book that stands solidly on a cognitive science foundation as “Magic” but through the practice of the Semantic Interaction Design method this breakthrough book introduces, you will appear to many as possessing superhero UX powers. The Semantic IxD method is laser focused on transforming product requirements into experiences guaranteed to result in the minimum cognitive load with the smallest number of screens and fewest flow steps possible. An additional benefit it provides is a 10X speed increase at which designers can achieve these magical results. It provides an antidote to the expensive…


Book cover of Reinventing the Bazaar: A Natural History of Markets

Steven K. Vogel Author Of Marketcraft: How Governments Make Markets Work

From my list on how markets really work.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first got interested in how markets really work when I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on the “deregulation” movement in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. I quickly discovered that deregulation never happened in the literal sense. In most cases, governments had to increase regulation to enhance market competition. They needed more rules to get “freer” markets. This sounds paradoxical at first, but it really isn’t. It makes perfect sense once you realize that markets do not arise spontaneously but rather are crafted by the very visible hand of the government. So I took that insight and I have been running with it ever since.

Steven's book list on how markets really work

Steven K. Vogel Why did Steven love this book?

McMillan offers a highly readable and concise book on how economists understand market institutions.

I love to assign this book to my undergraduate students because McMillan makes sense of some fairly complex topics, such as auction design. And he covers a wide range of topics of current interest, such as corporate governance and intellectual property rights.

By John McMillan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Reinventing the Bazaar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the wild swings of the stock market to the online auctions of eBay to the unexpected twists of the world's post-Communist economies, markets have suddenly become quite visible. We now have occasion to ask, "What makes these institutions work? How important are they? How can we improve them?"

Taking us on a lively tour of a world we once took for granted, John McMillan offers examples ranging from a camel trading fair in India to the $20 million per day Aalsmeer flower market in the Netherlands to the global trade in AIDS drugs. Eschewing ideology, he shows us that…


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