The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
Language: English
Published by Penguin Press, New York, 2018
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: PsychoBabel & Skoob Books, Didcot, United KingdomPsychoBabel & Skoob Books
AbeBooks seller since October 6, 2003
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 59.00
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Hardcover and jacket. A hint of wear to spine ends; small marker pen dot on page block foot. A very good copy indeed, with clear text throughout. TS.
Seller Inventory # 601103
- Title
- The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
- Author
- Ferguson, Niall
- Publisher
- Penguin Press, New York
- Publication year
- 2018
- Condition
- Very Good
- Book Type
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0735222916
- ISBN 13
- 9780735222915
- Seller catalogs
- Culture/Civilization/Society
A brilliant recasting of the turning points in world history, including the one we're living through, as a collision between old power hierarchies and new social networks.
“Captivating and compelling.” —The New York Times
"Niall Ferguson has again written a brilliant book...In 400 pages you will have restocked your mind. Do it." —The Wall Street Journal
“The Square and the Tower, in addition to being provocative history, may prove to be a bellwether work of the Internet Age.” —Christian Science Monitor
Most history is hierarchical: it's about emperors, presidents, prime ministers and field marshals. It's about states, armies and corporations. It's about orders from on high. Even history "from below" is often about trade unions and workers' parties. But what if that's simply because hierarchical institutions create the archives that historians rely on? What if we are missing the informal, less well documented social networks that are the true sources of power and drivers of change?
The 21st century has been hailed as the Age of Networks. However, in The Square and the Tower, Niall Ferguson argues that networks have always been with us, from the structure of the brain to the food chain, from the family tree to freemasonry. Throughout history, hierarchies housed in high towers have claimed to rule, but often real power has resided in the networks in the town square below. For it is networks that tend to innovate. And it is through networks that revolutionary ideas can contagiously spread. Just because conspiracy theorists like to fantasize about such networks doesn't mean they are not real.
From the cults of ancient Rome to the dynasties of the Renaissance, from the founding fathers to Facebook, The Square and the Tower tells the story of the rise, fall and rise of networks, and shows how network theory--concepts such as clustering, degrees of separation, weak ties, contagions and phase transitions--can transform our understanding of both the past and the present.
Just as The Ascent of Money put Wall Street into historical perspective, so The Square and the Tower does the same for Silicon Valley. And it offers a bold prediction about which hierarchies will withstand this latest wave of network disruption--and which will be toppled.
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About the Author
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PsychoBabel & Skoob Books
Didcot, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since October 6, 2003
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To pay by PayPal, just paste this link into your browser: paypal.me/PsychoBabelSkoob PsychoBabel Books in Oxfordshire and Skoob Books in London (Russell Square Tube)are run and owned by Chris Edwards operating as a sole trader. We have bought all our books and take great care with the storage and listing of each one. As well as over 107,000 listings we have nearly 100,000 in our London shop and probably five times as many awaiting attention in the warehouse. We have been selling with a five-star rating continuously sine 2003 on AbeBooks. PsychoBabel and Skoob buy from private individuals and prestigious libraries. We are NOT 'barcoders' but dedicated book lovers, offering an excellent service. We enjoy receiving phone calls and we handle each order individually. We dispatch our orders daily and accommodate customers all over the world. Our wonderful packaging is not charged for. Please email or call with any queries or requests for photos.…
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