Customer Reviews
Dull, dull, dull - By: Karlos, 24 Jul 2008 
I cannot recommend this book & am astonished by the number of four & five star reviews.
This is the autobiography of a rather dull & uninteresting person (sorry Emanuel).
The brief synopsis follows: Went to university, didn't socialize, stayedin bedroom. Went to Goldman Sachs, worked hard, still no friends. Moved to another bank but no one liked me & couldn't hack it so went back to Goldmans. Then I quit. Told a joke once about condoms. Wasn't funny.
Please! You workedin an Investment bank! I would have expected some anecdotes about colourful characters. I could have writen a more interesting autobiography just by looking at the guys on my desk. Have a look at Liar's Poker for how it should have been done.
I cannot understand the large number of four & five star reviews given to this book. Madness!
VEry good read but.... - By: Jayroc2k, 23 Jul 2008 
I really enjoyed this book & thought highly of the author.
Note, this book will appeal mostly to people with "geek" tendencies
If you like physics (or engineering) or finance then you would enjoy it.
If you are looking for anin depth insight into the man "Emmanual Derman", then you would bein for a disppointment
Accept it for it's title "My Life as a Quant: Reflections on Physics & Finance" & it would come highly recommended
O The Temptation... - By: A. J. Kirke, 12 Mar 2008 
I began a career as a Quant a decade or so ago, but skipped careers & am now doing a PhDin computer music. But reading this book brought it all back to me! I suddenly felt the urge to write papers on finance... Emanuel Derman just has such a great writing style. His discussion of Physics (another interest of mine) & Quants was a pleasure to read. This book was like a long cool drink on a hot day. What also makes it pleasurable is the personal elements he injects into the story - you see what things mean to him, you see the non-linearity & uncertaintyin his life.
I would class this as more reflections on Finance, with interesting observations about Physics. But overall I would just class it as a great read.
For Hardcore Only - By: Andy, 31 Dec 2007 If your interests have ever included Physics & Finance, & if you've ever thought there was something "deeper, more meaningful" to be foundin studying physics, then read this book. You will not be disappointed. If not, then don't.
A Great Read - By: Mr. P. Bilokon, 27 Feb 2007 This book would be of great interest to financial engineers. Emanuel Derman, an expert quant trained as a theoretical physicist, compares & contrasts the disparate worlds of Science & Finance. In simple terms he explains what Quantitative Finance is about. He covers the motivations for quantitative models & introduces the current state of the art. Perhaps more importantly, Derman illuminates the human factorin each of the two worlds & introduces the reader to some of their most inspirational characters, including Tsung-Dao Lee & Fisher Black.
