---

ARF: Biblio

 

rev_a_west @ ebay:

1966 - CHANCES AND HOW TO TAKE THEM - WRITTEN BY FRANK V. ZAPPA - { THE FATHER OF THE FAMOUS MUSICIAN AND TOILET SITTER FRANK ZAPPA } - MR. ZAPPA HAD HELD MANY POSITIONS WHICH REQUIRED MATHEMATICS AS THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE, SO THAT HIS EXPERIENCE HAS HAS BEEN ENORMOUS IN THE APPLIED AND THEORETICAL PHASES OF THE SUBJECT. MR. ZAPPA WAS A GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA. HE HAS ALSO TAKEN ADDITIONAL WORK OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE IN CHESTERTOWN, MARYLAND, JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. MR. ZAPPA HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES: AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY - AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR METALS - AMERICAN ROCKET SOCIETY - NATIONAL COUNCIL OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS OF CALIFORNIA - ORIGINAL FIRST AND ONLY PRINTING - 160 PAGES SOFT COVER BOOK - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES BY ARTCRAFT PRINTERS, ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA.

Annie Aronburg @ rigorousinstitution.ca:

" The Zappas are quite the clan of communicators. Frank's father wrote a wonderful little book called "Chances and How to Take Them" as a result his fascination with "experimental" gambling and mathematics. Both Frank's sisters have written books, his brother was an editor at McGraw Hill, his eldest daughter has written a thinly-veiled autobiography and his youngest son wrote a kid's book."

---

Greg Russo issued this new edition based on Steve Allen's copy of the 1st edition he was "lucky enough to purchase". This 2nd edition has additional forewords by Patrice Zappa and Greg Russo. Available also as a PDF file.

Greg Russo:

Most Frank Zappa fans know that his father Francis wrote a book on gambling, but very few people have actually seen it! Chances: And How To Take Them was released by a small publisher in June 1966 and quickly disappeared after its first printing. You would have thought with FZ's popularity that Chances would have received wider recognition, but no! Now is the time to rectify that! This first-ever reissue of Chances: And How To Take Them draws upon Francis Zappa's lifelong career in teaching and working with mathematics as well as his interest in presenting how math is involved in games of chance. Francis Zappa walks the reader through the mathematical formulas of combinations and probability to illustrate the mechanics of these games of chance and why they are so hard to win. The reader can then apply these principles for their own amusement! An excellent profile of Francis V. Zappa the man (and author of this book) is yet another highlight.

News/reviews

idiotbastard.com

Bookshops

Crossfire catalog
amazon.com
G & S Music