The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power by Niall Ferguson

Throughout history our societies have worked through networks - of information, friendship, professions, families - Niall Ferguson's new bestseller is a history of this remarkable aspect of human existence, from the networks that first allowed us to explore the oceans to today's hyper-linked world.

Historians love to write about rulers - kings, emperors, presidents - or about vast social forces - migration, industrialisation - but what if they are all missing the point? Thinking about our own lives, isn't it clear that what makes the world go round are families, colleagues, teams, associations: in other words, networks?

Many old Italian towns have the same central structure: a large square where people gather and a tower where the town's elite ruled from. Throughout history you can express the battle between the two as a battle of networks - who knows who, who works with who: guilds, families, fellowships, clans, cabals all cooperating to make sometimes huge changes. Sometimes the power lies with those lurking in the tower and sometimes with those in the square. Access to information, to credit, to ideas, to news - all constantly shift. Whether in the Renaissance or in the present day what makes the world work is an astonishing tangle of networks - and this was as true for the effort that went into discovering the New World as it is now for fighting elections or just talking to friends online.

In his enormously enjoyable new book, Niall Ferguson celebrates the myriad ways in which the battle between rival networks makes history happen.

Niall Ferguson

Reviews

“ A great historian . . . Ferguson is master of all he surveys ”

Spectator

“ Ferguson's intellect and panache mean that his skillful revision of history will reverberate for years to come ”

Guardian

“ A talented controversialist. He brings a wealth of historical knowledge to bear on big questions ”

Independent

“ He writes with splendid panache and a seemingly effortless, debonair wit ”

Andrew Roberts

“ Ferguson has knack for making long-ago events as vivid and visceral as the evening news ”

The New York Times

Trade Paperback

9780241298985

October 30, 2017

Allen Lane

RRP $40.00
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Hardback

9780241290460

November 15, 2017

Allen Lane

RRP $65.00
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EBook

9780141984827

October 26, 2017

Penguin eBooks
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