Theg Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell . .. . The Wisdom ...

A NEW

YORK

TIMES

BUSINESS

BESTSELLER

"As entertaining and thought-provoking as The Tipping Point by

Malcolm Gladwell. . . . The Wisdom of Crowds ranges far and wide."

¡ªTlte Boston Glohe

THE W I S D O M

OF CROWDS

JAMES

SUROWIECKI

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD

BY T H E

AUTHOR

Sociology/Economics

A BUSINESSWEEK

BESTSELLER AND BEST

BOOK OF THE YEAR



BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"A fun, intriguing read¡ªand a concept with

enormous potential for CEOs and politicos

alike." ¡ª N E W S W E E K

I

n this fascinating book, New Yorker business

columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are

smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant¡ª

better at solving problems, fostering innovation,

coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.

With boundless erudition and in delightfully

clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture,

psychology, ant biology, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, military history, and politics to show how this simple idea offers important

lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, run our companies,

and think about our world.

"This book is not just revolutionary but essential reading for everyone."

¡ªTHE

CHRISTIAN

SCIENCE

MONITOR

"Provocative. . . . Musters ample proof that the payoff from heeding

collective intelligence is greater than many of us imagine."

¡ªBUSINESSWEEK

"There's no danger of dumbing down for the masses who read this

singular book." ¡ª E N T E R T A I N M E N T WEEKLY

Cover photograph ? Leo Mason/Getty Images

Author photograph ? David Surowiecki

Cover design by John Gail



U.S. $14.95 CAN. $19.95

ISBN 9 7 8 - 0 - 3 8 5 - 7 2 1 7 0 - 7

9 780385 721707

Praise for James Surowiecki's

THE WISDOM OF C R O W D S

"Clearly and persuasively written."

? :

r:

¡ªNewsday

"Convincingly argues that under the right circumstances, it's the

crowd that's wiser than even society's smartest individuals. New

Yorker business columnist Surowiecki enlivens his argument with

dozens of illuminating anecdotes and case studies from business,

social psychology, sports and everyday life."

¡ªEntertainment Weekly

"Dazzling. . . . One of those books that will turn your world upside

down. It's an adventure story, a manifesto, and the most brilliant

book on business, society, and everyday life that I've read in years."

¡ªMalcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point

"Surowiecki's clear writing and well-chosen examples render complicated mathematical and sociological theories easy to grasp. . . .

[His] accounts of how the wisdom of crowds has formed the world

we live in will thrill trivia mavens¡ªand may make a better investor

(or football coach) out of anyone who takes its conclusions to

heart."

¡ªTime Out New York

"This book should be in every thinking businessperson's library.

Without exception."

¡ªPo Bronson, author of What Should I Do with My Life?

"Drawing from biology, behavioral economics, and computer science, Surowiecki offers answers to such timeless¡ªand often

rhetorical¡ªquestions as "Why does the line you're standing in always seem to move the slowest?" and "Why is there so much

garbage on TV?" The result is a highly original set of conclusions

about how our world works."

¡ªSeed, magazine

1

:

>

? , ?"' - if . < . ? r

"As readers of Surowiecki's writing in The New Yorker will know, he

has a rare gift for combining rigorous thought with entertaining example. [The Wisdom of Crowds] is packed with amusing ideas that

leave the reader feeling better-educated."

¡ªFinancial Times (London)

"The book is deeply researched and well-written, and the result is

a fascinating read."

¡ªDeseret Morning News

"Jim Surowiecki has done the near impossible. He's taken what in

other hands would be a dense and difficult subject and given us a

book that is engaging, surprising, and utterly persuasive. The Wisdom of Crowds will change the way you think about markets, economics, and a large swatch of everyday life."

¡ªJoe Nocera, editorial director of Fortune magazine

and author of A Piece of the Action

"Makes a compelling case."

, ¡ªThe Gazette (Montreal)

"Deftly compressing a small library's worth of research into a single

slim and readable volume, 'The Financial Page' columnist at The

New Yorker makes his bid to capture the Zeitgeist as his colleague

Malcolm Gladwell did with The Tipping Point. . . . The author has

produced something surprising and new: a sociological tract as

gripping as a good novel."

¡ªBest Life

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