William Poundstone

William Poundstone is an American writer, biographer, journalist, and columnist whose seventeen books bring scientific and philosophical ideas to general readers by tracing their real-world consequences, from voting theory to information theory to existential risk. Born on March 29, 1955, in Morgantown, West Virginia, he trained as a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a National Merit Scholarship before turning to writing full time. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Harper’s, Harvard Business Review, Esquire, and The Economist. Fortune’s Formula, his 2005 account of the scientific betting system that challenged both casinos and Wall Street, was named the Amazon Editors’ Pick for number-one nonfiction book of that year.

Key facts

  • Born: 29 March 1955
  • Country: United States
  • Occupation: biographer; journalist; author; columnist
  • Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Early life and education

Poundstone grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, the city that is also home to West Virginia University. He went on to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where a National Merit Scholarship supported his undergraduate years.

Books and major works

Poundstone published his first book, Big Secrets: The Uncensored Truth About All Sorts of Stuff You Are Never Supposed to Know, in 1983. The debut caused an immediate uproar among professional magicians by exposing illusions including the floating ball, sawing a woman in two, and various Kreskin stunts. A media tour followed, during which Poundstone demonstrated tricks on television and in newspapers.

His 1999 biography Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos documented the life of the renowned astronomer and science communicator. Fortune’s Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street was published by Macmillan in 2005 and earned the Amazon Editors’ Pick as the top nonfiction book of that year.

Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren’t Fair (and What We Can Do About It), published by Hill and Wang in 2008, became a recommended text among electoral reform activists. Poundstone has since served on the board of advisors of the Center for Election Science. His 2019 book The Doomsday Calculation: How an Equation that Predicts the Future Is Transforming Everything We Know About Life and the Universe, published June 4, 2019, by Little, Brown Spark, applies Bayes’ theorem to questions about existential risk and the probable lifespan of human civilization.

Across these and other titles, Poundstone’s writing consistently pursues the social implications of ideas drawn from science and philosophy, whether the subject is game theory, information theory, or the mathematics of fair elections.

Journalism and television

Beyond books, Poundstone has contributed to The New York Times, Harper’s, Harvard Business Review, the Village Voice, Esquire, The Economist, and Psychology Today, among other outlets. He also adapted several of his books for ABC television, working as writer and co-producer on two primetime specials. His television appearances have included the Today Show, The David Letterman Show, CBS Morning News, and Larry King.

In 2011, Poundstone received the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants’ Excellence in Financial Journalism Award.

Digital work

In 2005, Poundstone created Project for Tachistoscope {Bottomless Pit}, a digital artwork programmed in Flash that presents a high-speed, one-word-at-a-time animation synchronized to visual and aural effects. The piece was included in the Electronic Literature Collection, Volume One.

Personal

As of his author page on his own website, Poundstone lives in Los Angeles. He is a cousin of stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone.

Did you know

  • Poundstone’s Big Secrets series drew organized anger from professional magicians. After the 1983 first volume, he returned to the subject in a 1993 sequel, Biggest Secrets. Magicians on the Magicpedia timeline noted that some of his explanations in that second book were incorrect and potentially dangerous. (wiki.geniimagazine.com)

Data sources

Data updated: 2026-10-28