My book recommendation is Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning About a Highly Connected World by David Easley and Jon Kleinberg.
As the title implies, it’s a book about understanding the world using graph theory, network theory, and game theory.
What makes it exceptionally good is it being in the sweet spot between “popular science books” that don’t offer any interesting insights to someone who has any familiarity with these topics, and “advanced academic literature” where the insights are available only to those who have already studied the topic for many years.
Not only were the basic ideas fairly easy to understand, it also felt like each page had at least some insights that made me pause and think about their implications.
I also believe this to be of particular importance now, when networks are appearing as one of the leading candidates for the primary shape of society during this century. If networks were to become the primary shape, this book could help one better understand how to make the best out of it.
I first read this few years ago, but I am planning to read it again soon. After doing plenty of thinking and work on similar themes since then, I suspect I could gain even more out of it during the second read. So, even if you have read this before, you might also consider a second round with it.
My book recommendation is Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning About a Highly Connected World by David Easley and Jon Kleinberg.
As the title implies, it’s a book about understanding the world using graph theory, network theory, and game theory.
What makes it exceptionally good is it being in the sweet spot between “popular science books” that don’t offer any interesting insights to someone who has any familiarity with these topics, and “advanced academic literature” where the insights are available only to those who have already studied the topic for many years.
Not only were the basic ideas fairly easy to understand, it also felt like each page had at least some insights that made me pause and think about their implications.
I also believe this to be of particular importance now, when networks are appearing as one of the leading candidates for the primary shape of society during this century. If networks were to become the primary shape, this book could help one better understand how to make the best out of it.
I first read this few years ago, but I am planning to read it again soon. After doing plenty of thinking and work on similar themes since then, I suspect I could gain even more out of it during the second read. So, even if you have read this before, you might also consider a second round with it.
You can read more about the book, including a highly informative table of contents, and even download for free (!) its pre-publication draft at https://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/.