Cover Image: The Square and the Tower

The Square and the Tower

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Member Reviews

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

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Fascinating and intriguing. Learnt a lot from reading this book. Thank you for letting me review this book and I have given it an unbiased review.

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In a world of institionalised misandry where the opinions of white men is not wanted, Ferguson is often treated like a pariah but here we have a well researched and informative book that deserves to be read. Ignore him at your peril.

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A very interesting and thought-provoking look at the world. I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced by the arguments, but I definitely enjoyed reading about them. A very well-researched and written book.

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Went through a phase of getting "read now" books that sounded vaguely interesting. Never got around to reading this one.

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A bit of a Marmite book this; either you think it is a brilliantly fresh viewpoint on historical events or a pretentious mess. It is full of content, nicely paced and clearly very well researched. However, it doesn't always adhere to the main premise of the title and is littered with name dropping moments from the author's social life.

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Fulll disclosure: I didn't manage to finish this because after becoming a little disillusioned early on about whether I was going to learn anything ground-breaking, I looked up some reviews which reinforced my sense that while some of Niall Ferguson's ideas were pretty interesting, it wasn't going to say anything very new that I hadn't already come across simplified versions of in a Guardian Long-Read. That said, it does provide you with a feeling that you'll have some fascinating tidbits to share over a drink or two with friends next weekend, before you inevitably forget pertinent factual detail :)

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A very interesting read, I struggled in some parts but very informative. Something for an afternoon read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy

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A systematic categorization of power, hierarchies and networks in history. Not really an afternoon read since it examples, in a rushed manner, events and periods of history. Some even look complete obsolete and unnecessary to mention in this book. Sometimes it has a pseudo scientific feel, which to me does not feel right.

Never-the-less in explores and explains some historical events and puts them in another context, of course the writers contest…

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Sadly, this was a DNF for me at 20%. I am personally not the biggest fan of non-fiction works and found some of the terminology difficult to understand. I did like the use of diagrams though, as this made the chapters look visual. Sadly, I lost interest and will not be finishing.

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I was excited to read the book but it turned out in the end that it went into completely different direction from what I expected. It was also boring in some parts and I found much better things to do. I actually gave up on the book eventually as I thought I have book that I'll actually enjoy to read.

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I really didn't get on with this. I started off being really interested, but then it petered off a bit and I lost interest and had trouble finding the time and energy to go back to it. And when I did I spotted a big ole factual inaccuracy that undermined my faith in the rest of the book (which I hope has been fixe in the actual proper version). So, although I can see that other people really liked it, it didn't do anything for me at all.

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It was ok i guess. It took me absolutely ages to trawl through it because i constantly lost interest and found something better to do.

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The square and tower goes into detail about the history of networks and there is a lot of research that has been done by Fergusson in writing this book.

I found some of the history detailed in this book to be really interesting and it was certainly what I didn’t know. I did however lose a bit of interest into the second half where it didn’t keep me as captivated.

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This book isn't an easy read and I struggled to finish it. Probably needs someone cleverer than I am to do justice to the ideas and thoughts it presents.

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I really struggled to grasp this and ended up quitting 5% through, I just needed lighter reading. The bits that I did read felt a bit too much like a dissertation, and ultimately, it wasn’t the right match for me. Ferguson certainly has the footnotes to show he has done his research; unfortunately, despite having quite an academic background myself, I’m not the right reader for this kind of material.

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I originally thought this book would be super interesting to read, and I believe it will be amazing for the right person. Sadly, that person is not me – purely because of my own inability to understand the topic! Although I haven't read a lot of this book, I'm sure it is actually very interesting and amazing.

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Ferguson is an independent original thinker who always has an intersting perspective on history and politics. This is another fascinating read.

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A really interesting look at the current phenomenon of social networks. A historical look that proves that these are not a new thing and are embedded in all our history. A must read for all of those who want to know where we've come from and it might even help understand what is next for social networks.

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Absolutely Fascinating. Niall Ferguson enlightens us again with a different perspective. Read and be educated.
Meticulously researched, this book provides readers with food for thought as the author, celebrated historian Neill Ferguson, makes the case that the structure of networks within society can influence historical events and come into conflict with hierarchies. Ferguson unveils a new approach with which to consider modern (and Ancient) history.
"The Square and the Tower" is a fascinating study. He explores the world we live in today and argues that society has always been more interlinked and networked than has previously been thought. He argues that over time the structure of society has swayed between networking and hierarchical forces. The nature of the networks which effect change are different and are often almost invisible. The reader learns so many interesting facts which, although we may vaguely be aware of them, are served to us on a plate. The book poses many questions and tries to answer them: e.g. how many connections separate any two people on the planet and how has that changed over time (if it has), how does a topic go "viral". These are but two examples. Niall Ferguson has produced a book which every Historian, or general reader, should read to gain knowledge of the forces, known and unknown, which are at work within society. It has been this way in all of civilised times Ferguson argues. And he supports his argument with detailed research and documented facts and studies. He deploys a multi-disciplined approach to the topic. Ferguson is a historian who thinks and writes "out of the box" and it is this which makes him so unpredictable and interesting.
A treat to read and essential for all history students aiming for a First.

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