Introduction to Probability
Introduction to Probability by Blitzstein and Hwangby Blitzstein and Hwang
Shares rank 3 of 5 probability textbooks by recommenders
Recommended by a few readers as a probability text that fits what they were looking for, with one calling it a notable exception.
Recommended by a few readers as a probability text that fits what they were looking for, with one calling it a notable exception.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fits what readers were looking for
“it feels a lot like what you're referring to”
Comment from 1 Jul 2026 in “Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning” “sounds a exactly what I'm looking for”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning” Seen as a notable exception
“Blitzstein being a notable exception”
Comment from 6 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: Would you read a statistics textbook?”
Other probability textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other probability textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistical Rethinkingby Richard McElreath | 10 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Think Bayesby Allen Downey | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Introduction to Probabilityby Blitzstein and HwangThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Probability Theory: The Logic of Scienceby Jaynes | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| The Elements of Statistical Learningby Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Blitzstein being a notable exception”
“sounds a exactly what I'm looking for”
“it feels a lot like what you're referring to”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.