Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing , pp. 256 Export/Airside Edition . Papeback. New.
![Luck What It Means and Why It Matters](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/f/577/826/9781408826577.ME.0.m.jpg)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Summary
What happens if you embrace the power of luck...For aspiring cricketer Ed Smith, luck was for other people. Like his childhood hero, Geoff Boycott, the tough, flinty Yorkshireman, the young Ed knew that the successful cricketer made his own luck by an application of will power, elimination of error, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. But when a freak accident at the crease at Lords prematurely ended Ed Smith's international cricketing career, it changed everything - and prompted him to look anew at his own life through the prism of luck.
Tracing the history of the concepts of luck and fortune, destiny and fate, from the ancient Greeks to the present day - in religion, in banking, in politics - Ed Smith argues that the question of luck versus skill is as pertinent today as it ever has been. He challenges us to think again about privilege and opportunity, to re-examine the question of innate ability and of gifts and talents accidentally conferred at birth. Weaving in his personal stories - notably the chance meeting of a beautiful stranger who would become his wife on a train he seemed fated to miss - he puts to us the idea that in life, luck cannot be underestimated: without any means of explaining our differing lots in life, the world without luck is one in which you deserve every ill that befalls you, where envy dominates and averageness is the stifling ideal. Embracing luck leads us to a fresh reappraisal of the nature of success, opportunity and fairness.
Bankers have promised 'risk-free' investments, the self-help industry pedals the idea that everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and life's winners are encouraged to claim that they did it all themselves in a 'meritocracy'. The case for luck needs to be made now, more than ever.
Tracing the history of the concepts of luck and fortune, destiny and fate, from the ancient Greeks to the present day - in religion, in banking, in politics - Ed Smith argues that the question of luck versus skill is as pertinent today as it ever has been. He challenges us to think again about privilege and opportunity, to re-examine the question of innate ability and of gifts and talents accidentally conferred at birth. Weaving in his personal stories - notably the chance meeting of a beautiful stranger who would become his wife on a train he seemed fated to miss - he puts to us the idea that in life, luck cannot be underestimated: without any means of explaining our differing lots in life, the world without luck is one in which you deserve every ill that befalls you, where envy dominates and averageness is the stifling ideal. Embracing luck leads us to a fresh reappraisal of the nature of success, opportunity and fairness.
Bankers have promised 'risk-free' investments, the self-help industry pedals the idea that everyone can pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and life's winners are encouraged to claim that they did it all themselves in a 'meritocracy'. The case for luck needs to be made now, more than ever.
Details
- Title Luck What It Means and Why It Matters
- Author Smith, Ed
- Binding Paperback
- Pages 256
- Language ENG
- Publisher Bloomsbury
- Date 2012-05-01
- ISBN 9781408826577
More Copies for Sale
![Luck](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/f/577/826/9781408826577.ME.0.m.jpg)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Luck
by Ed Smith
- New
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781408826577 / 1408826577
- Quantity Available
- 4
- Seller
-
Woodside, New York, United States
- Item Price
-
A$17.15A$6.11 shipping to USA
Show Details
Item Price
A$17.15
A$6.11
shipping to USA
![Luck](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/f/577/826/9781408826577.ME.0.m.jpg)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Luck
by Ed Smith
- New
- Condition
- New
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781408826577 / 1408826577
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
New Delhi, India
- Item Price
-
A$37.60A$7.66 shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
New/New. Brand New Original US Edition, Perfect Condition. Printed in English. Excellent Quality, Service and customer satisfaction guaranteed!
Item Price
A$37.60
A$7.66
shipping to USA
![Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters Smith, Ed](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/f/577/826/9781408826577.ME.0.m.jpg)
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters Smith, Ed
by Ed Smith
- Used
- Good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9781408826577 / 1408826577
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Newport Coast, California, United States
- Item Price
-
A$77.69FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Description:
paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Item Price
A$77.69
FREE shipping to USA