CARLO M.CIPOLLA (1922-2000) was an Italian economist, Fulbright Fellow, and University of California, Berkeley professor. Cipolla received honorary degrees in Italy and Switzerland and was awarded the International Balzan Award for Economic History in 1995. The Fundamental Rules of Human Stupidity, his famous treatise, was initially published in 1988 and has since been translated into more than 10 languages. This is the first time it has been published in the United States after being written in English.