Incerto (Deluxe Edition): Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, The Bed of Procrustes, Antifragile, Skin in the Game Hardcover – July 30, 2019

I'm a professional Data Scientist with almost a decade of experience at this point and throughout my whole career I've had a deep sense of unease with expert knowledge, prediction, and the successes and failures of models both machine learning and statistical.I ran across NNT in various places for his radical, but rigorous take downs of many statistical concepts that I had developed independently. I think I came into the profession having high esteem of correlation, then had even less of it excepting in linear domains, and then an NNT video destroyed the rest as he pointed out some basics (the majority of interesting real world data sets aren't linear). From there I devoured many of his white papers, his videos, and great twitter feed.So this year I decided to buy this series and get even further into his work. As I'm finishing up Skin in the Game right now (with the technical companion on the way) I can say that this series is fantastic for the practitioner or layman alike.These books will describe many of the failures of statistics, modeling, prediction, and why they occur in a readable manner for any college (or perhaps well read layman) to digest even if one doesn't understand the mathematics. You'll have less respect for experts (but also less respect for contrarians who disregard the experts) and a more thorough understanding of the many dimensions these failures reverberate through in medicine, philosophy, social sciences, finance, economics, politics and more. I myself will probably have to read it again.As with all great thinkers, I don't know if I agree with 100% of NNT's opinions in this book, but like those great thinkers, his thinking is almost completely unique and even when you disagree with him you have to really think about why you disagree with him. I hope this series and the rest of his works survive the great filter into the future where works of utility to mankind end up.Can't recommend it enough.

This review is heavily focused on the physical product. There are loads of book reviews that go far more in depth for each book than I could begin to while also trying to cover all five. This compendium compiles the main body of work by scholar Nassim Taleb, who has famously (on twitter.com at least...) brought back a revival of the term "Lindy." Each book is a work in and of itself, but they all relate to a common theme. Taleb has referred to the structure of this set being fractal in nature; thus the reader can pick and choose which books to read in any order he likes. It will work as a cohesive whole in any order, and I think this is the meaning behind his choice of calling this an "Incerto." My only gripe with this beautiful box set is actually the box itself. It is FAR too tight and very difficult to pull out an individual book when full. I hope this goes away with use, but the issue is so serious that I damn near took away a "star" from this review. However, the beauty and quality of the books themselves far outweigh the stupid box issue, which could be thrown away anyways. As pictured, the individual volumes feature a unique pattern on the back as well as their number within the set - no spine titles. The color scheme is very regal and definitely makes a beautiful addition to any serious home library. They also feature a book tassel, which is just a QOL feature for some, but huge for me as I can never really keep track of bookmarks unless I use a dollar bill. Overall, I give the hardback Incerto a strong 8 to a light 9 out of ten, but will be giving it five stars on the Amazon scale. If you're looking to get into some interesting, current scholarship and philosophy, put down the Spinoza and give this Incerto a read...

My family member love it

I’m a big fan of Nassim Nicholas Talib’s writings. I think he strikes a fine line of providing deep and informative information that is accessible to most readers. Many talk about the quality of the paper in this set. My paperback set had absolutely no issues. The paper is sturdy and not translucent. Perhaps there are different qualities of sets that are shipped at random, but my version was satisfactory and I’m really happy with the purchase.

I've only ready Fooled by Randomness and the Black Swan, but for the price you might as well buy them all.

I like.

Reviewed May 2021. I was looking at set and was initially concerned about reviews and pictures showing the poor quality semi-transparent paper, yet seeing other reviews saying this problem was fixed.I decided to take a chance on it with a great sale price (and with the intention to return if the quality was poor). I'm very pleased with the quality of the books and of the paper. They look great, feel great, and I'm ready to jump in on this 1,800 page journey!

The Incerto 5-Book Bundle offers a unique perspective on the complexities of randomness, risk, and decision-making. Nassim Nicholas Taleb's writing is insightful and challenging, forcing readers to question conventional wisdom. While some parts may feel repetitive or overly technical, overall, this bundle provides a valuable exploration of the nuances of uncertainty and the importance of embracing antifragility.