Stephen M. Stigler Libri

The narrative explores the evolution of the French Loterie from its inception in the 1750s, influenced by Giocomo Casanova, to its eventual suppression in 1836. Historian Stephen Stigler's extensive research, sparked by a rare lottery Almanac, uncovers the intricate mechanics of the lottery, including ticket sales, prize distributions, and the state's financial strategies. The book delves into the public's growing trust in financial systems and the historical context of risk, highlighting the lottery's impact on society and its adaptation during significant events like the French Revolution.

This lively collection of essays examines statistical ideas with an ironic eye for their essence and what their history can tell us for current disputes. The topics range from 17th-century medicine and the circulation of blood, to the cause of the Great Depression, to the determinations of the shape of the Earth and the speed of light.

What gives statistics its unity as a science? Stephen Stigler sets forth the seven foundational ideas of statistics-a scientific discipline related to but distinct from mathematics and computer science and one which often seems counterintuitive. His original account will fascinate the interested layperson and engage the professional statistician.

Introduction -- Casanova -- The Genoese lottery -- The establishement of the Loterie -- Problems and adjustments of the early drawings -- Antoine Blanquet and the great expansion of 1776 -- The introduction of bonus numbers : les primes gratuites -- The spread of the Loterie in Europe -- Data security : the design of the tickets -- The Loterie and the Revolution -- Was the Loterie fair? -- Dreams and astrology : the bettors and the Loterie -- The number 45 and the maturity of chances -- How much did they bet, and where? -- Muskets, fine-tuned risk, and Voltaire -- The Loterie in textbooks and manuals -- The suppression of the Loterie in 1836 -- Conclusion.