SKU: 42818727930

The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook

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The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to FacebookThe instant New York Times bestseller. 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

The instant New York Times bestseller.

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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 01/22/2019
ISBN: 9780735222939
Pages: 592
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.40d
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SKU: 42818727930

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Donna M.
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Great toy
Color: Blue
Great toy, too bad my Shih Tzu is afraid of it. I love the way the movement is subtle and random.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
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Amazon Customer
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Best toy for dogs
Color: Blue
My dog plays with this for hours!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
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Chelsea H.
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 4
I wouldn’t recommend this for strong chewers.
Color: Orange, Color: Orange
Is it fun? Sure. Was it easy to charge and set up? Yep. That being said, this toy kind of fell flat for me. It really didn’t do any big movements once charged that I expected it to, so that was a bummer. I initially got it for my dog, but my cats were more interested in this than my dog was. The battery does seem to last a long time and the motor is pretty quiet. I WOULD NOT recommend this toy for strong chewers as the material for this is a foam rubber and I don’t think it’s durable enough for strong chewers. While the material makes this ball extremely lightweight for more movement, a strong chewer would have this disintegrated in five minutes flat. My Dog is a super strong chewer. I don’t think I would feel comfortable leaving him unattended with this because I know he would destroy it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
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Charlie
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Interactive puppy fun
Color: Blue
Pups love this and I enjoy watching them have so much fun. Serious playtime followed by a well earned nap!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2026
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Nala Nose Best 🐾
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 3
Well-designed and quiet, but didn’t keep my dog interested
Color: Blue
My dog was interested in this at first, but she would lose interest after a few minutes and move on. I do like that it’s quieter than the hard plastic ball toys, and the charge lasts well. The internal charging port that twists closed is also a nice design feature. That said, it will occasionally turn on by itself, which can be a little surprising. Overall, it has some nice features, but it just didn’t keep my dog engaged.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2026

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