The Square and the Tower

Historian Niall Ferguson delivers a fresh, popular take on history. Throughout, he makes the point that two forces shape world events: influential social networks and powerful hierarchies. Though he acknowledges that others have explored the social network view of history, Ferguson uses his gossipy analysis of the global influence of old-boy networks – such as at Oxford and Cambridge universities and in the Saxe-Coburg and Rothschild dynasties – to serve up delicious food for thought. This romp through mostly modern, mostly Western history will delight amateur historians with its fast-paced, gripping narrative. Academics may not find Ferguson’s sometimes-contradictory arguments about the centrality of networks and the irrelevance of conspirators convincing – leaving experts with a text they may see as largely unoriginal. But Ferguson’s passion for his subject and determination to inform laypeople make this an entertaining, informative read.