Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp Virtual Exhibit
The UCI Libraries’ Exhibit Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp, highlighting the extraordinarily diverse life and career of Edward O. Thorp, has been converted from an installation in the Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery located in Langson Library, to a virtual exhibit. This exhibit features Thorp’s mathematical odyssey from academia, to the casinos of Las Vegas, and the trading desks of Wall Street.
Thorp was a founding member of the UCI mathematics department and became famous as 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. Along with innovative applications of probability theory, Thorp is also The New York Times bestselling author of “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One,” the first book to mathematically prove that the house advantage in blackjack could be overcome by card-counting. To beat roulette, Thorp and Claude Shannon invented the first wearable computer. He also pioneered the use of quantitative investment techniques in the financial markets and has been called the “Godfather of Quants.”
In 2013, Thorp received the UCI Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Lauds & Laurels Extraordinarius award, which recognizes outstanding individuals for their service to community, professional excellence and campus involvement.
Exhibit Curators
The exhibit was curated by Becky Imamoto, Head of Collection Strategies Department, John Sisson, Research Librarian for Biological Sciences, and Annette Buckley, Research Librarian for Business and Economics, and was designed by Allan Helmick, Sylvia Irving and Luisa Lee. It includes select writings and memorabilia showcasing his personal and professional papers throughout his impressive career.
As a former blackjack dealer, I used to see people attempt to count cards quite frequently to varying degrees of success. Nineteen years later, as one of the exhibit curators, I had the opportunity to go through Dr. Thorp’s archives to see his original formulas, his thought process and calculations. It was exciting as it was surreal. I especially enjoyed tracing the story of how the casinos dismissed his strategy and gleefully invited gamblers to try it out in Las Vegas, sure they were going to win a lot of money only to discover he had cracked the code. -Becky Imamoto, Head of Collection Strategies Department
Without hyperbole I enjoyed learning about Dr. Thorp as an extraordinary individual. Growing up in Lomita, California and obtaining his doctorate at UCLA, Dr. Thorp had a distinguished career at UCI in both the Department of Mathematics and The UCI School of Business. His sharp intellect was evident at an early age and his academic publications in mathematics were as important as his contributions to finance. Reading through his extensive personal archive that he has donated to Special Collections and Archives in preparation for this exhibit was a rare treat. - John Sisson, Research Librarian for Biological Sciences
While co-curating this exhibit, I had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Thorp at his office. I wanted to pick his brain about books that he believed might help people cultivate their own critical mindset for finance. Dr. Thorp’s eyes lit up at this request and he said, “Oh that’s a good question.” He then moved to consult the long low bookcase spanning the wall behind his desk, and he started pulling out books and elaborating on why each one was so meaningful to him, while I transcribed what he said. These books are featured on the “Recommendation” section of the “Think Like Thorp” flyer that accompanies this exhibit. - Annette Buckley, Research Librarian for Business and Economics
Innovative Pilot Project to Integrate Original Audio and Digitized Materials
As part of the generous gift of his materials to the Libraries, Dr. Thorp recorded extensive audio commentary about the items in his collection, providing further insight and creating a more complete picture of his life and career. Additionally, Dr. Thorp made a gift to fund an innovative pilot project to integrate and embed this oral commentary and digitized archival materials into the collection finding aid to create a digital collection exhibit for the Edward O. Thorp Collection.
The UCI Libraries are hiring a Graduate Student Researcher for the 2021 academic summer session to work on this pilot project. Working closely with archivists, librarians, and staff of the departments of Special Collections & Archives and Digital Scholarship Services, the Graduate Student Researcher will design and implement a digital exhibit, including integration of reformatted legacy media, analysis of interview transcripts featuring Thorp, archival research, and constructing a curatorial narrative.
The project will facilitate ongoing collaborative work at UCI to pilot digital collection exhibits and demonstrate the benefits of paid graduate training opportunities in the UCI Libraries.
More Information
This exhibit provides an inspirational view of Edward O. Thorp’s boundless curiosity and intellectual drive towards “finding the edge” in science and business.
To view the virtual exhibit, click here.
To view photos from the Fall 2019 opening event, please click here.
To view the video from the Fall 2019 opening event, please click here.
To view a digitized version of the Fall 2019 physical exhibit installation in the Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery located in Langson Library, please click here.
To view the "Think Like Thorp" book list flyer, please click here.
The UCI Libraries Exhibits Program promotes the diverse holdings and scholarly and cultural value of the Libraries’ collections to the campus and community. Click here to support the Libraries' Collection Enhancement Fund.