Can a renowned mathematician successfully outwit the stock market? Not when his biggest investment is WorldCom. The book tells the fascinating, funny and often excruciating story of how John Allen Paulos gambled

and lost

in his calamitous attempts to make a fortune on the stock market. Throughout his adventures in the marketplace, Paulos manages to shed light on its paradoxes and puzzles- how random is it? How do you assess risk? This tale of greed, business gurus and gullible punters is for anyone fascinated by how the market works

and how it can go horribly wrong.