The UCI Libraries announce the opening of a new exhibit, Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp, on Monday, November 4 at 6:00 p.m. in the Crystal Cove Auditorium located in the UCI Student Center. Edward O. Thorp, founding professor of mathematics, best-selling author, hedge fund manager, and blackjack player is the opening night guest speaker.
Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp highlights the extraordinarily diverse life and career of Edward O. Thorp. As a UCI founding professor of mathematics, best-selling author, hedge fund manager and blackjack player, this exhibit features Thorp’s mathematical odyssey from academia, to the casinos of Las Vegas, and the trading desks of Wall Street. The exhibit includes select writings and memorabilia showcasing his personal and professional papers throughout his impressive career. Additionally, select articles from the UCI Libraries Special Collections and Archives, Edward O. Thorp Papers are on display. Thorp was a founding member of the UCI mathematics department and became a professor who mathematically proved card-counting gives every player an edge. Thorp also funded an endowment to attract a pre-eminent professor in mathematics. To beat roulette, he and Claude Shannon invented the first wearable computer. Along with innovative applications of probability theory, Thorp is also The New York Times bestselling author of “Beat the Dealer,” the first book to mathematically prove that the house advantage in blackjack could be overcome by card-counting. He also pioneered the use of quantitative investment techniques in the financial markets and has been called the “Godfather of Quants.” This exhibit provides an inspirational view of Edward O. Thorp’s boundless curiosity and intellectual drive towards “finding the edge” in science and business.
The program will be followed by a reception and exhibit viewing in the Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery, Langson Library. The event is free and open to all the public; reservations are first come, first served. For further information, please call 949.824.4658 or email partners@uci.edu.
Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp is curated by Annette Buckley, Research Librarian for Business and Economics; Rebecca Imamoto, Head of Collection Strategies; and John Sisson, Research Librarian for Biological Sciences; and is designed by Allan Helmick and Sylvia Irving.
Online version of this exhibit
Digitized version of this exhibit
"Think Like Thorp" book list PDF flyer
Video interview with Edward O. Thorp, from the exhibit opening
Photos from the exhibit opening
Explore the project “Thorp and the Theory of Options: Illuminating the Edward O. Thorp Papers at UC Irvine."
Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp will open on Monday, November 4, 2019 at Langson Library, Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery and will be on display during regular library hours until March 2020. To learn more about this exhibit, please click here.
Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp will be on display in the Langson Library, Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery during regular library hours until Fall 2020.
The UCI Libraries Exhibits Program promotes the diverse holdings and scholarly and cultural value of the Libraries’ collections to the campus and community.
• To support the Libraries' Collection Enhancement Fund, please go to: http://www.uadv.uci.edu/CollectionEnhancementFund.
• To sponsor this exciting event please contact Wendi Morner, Director of Development, at wmorner@uci.edu or call 949.824.8904.
UCI Libraries External Relations
(949) 824-4658 | partners@uci.edu