Nutshell review - This is such a fascinating topic and this is a great book covering it. Well written, lucid and worth reading about this interesting "new" field of networks and small worlds.

Another book on the same topic, Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks by Mark Buchanan, covers the same topic. No need to buy both.

Nutshell review - This is such a fascinating topic and this is a great book covering it. Well written, lucid and worth reading about this interesting "new" field of networks and small worlds.

Another book on the same topic, Nexus (http://www.amazon.com/Nexus-Worlds-Groundbreaking-Theory-Networks/dp/0393324427/ref=cm_cr-mr-title) covers the same topic. Nexus came out in June 2003 and Linked in April 2003. I am surprised that they both use virtually the same stories and examples to illustrate various aspects of the subject matter ...

This is an excellent introduction to the science of networks. The layman, the engineer and the beginnig researcher should all enjoy & benefit from reading it.

This well-written, easy book is a good way to start learning about network theory. It discusses the history, some basics, and the broad application (or presence?) of networks in the world around us.
However, it skims only the surface of what the research is all about, and leaves one thirsty for more, making it a good introduction to further studying (in my case, neural networks).

The writing style is close to story-telling at times, and this got a bit on my nerves. Apart from that I really cannot say anything bad about this book, I am glad I purchased it.

Reminds of "The World is Flat". It covers lots of ground really quickly. It was an interesting subject, something I've speculated a lot on my own and it was reinforcing to have a professional discuss lots of patterns (biology, physics, society, information networks) in a short-form context. It inspired me to write some graphics code based on the diagrams in the book and for that it was worth reading.

This is the first book I've ever read tackling this subject. I've had some science, but physics wasn't my strong suit. This was a great intro, and it made me want to dig deeper.

Before reading this book, I didn't know that Networks theories are with us since serveral decades. I'm almost finishing it, but I couldn't wait to write something about the book; specially to recommend you to buy it!
Barabasi work is really great. His redaction skills are as good that people without mathematics or science knowledge can understand and deeply learn Networks theory.

Excellent read. I'm a systems engineer by trade and although the book is by no means technical, it really drove the "connectedness" topic home for me as the author showed how objects naturally connect and grow in both real and abstract terms. If this sounds interesting- you will enjoy it too.

I am neither a scientist nor an economist. I wanted to learn more about this emerging science of networks. I bought this and "Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks". I found this to be the better of the two books. It was entertaining and easy to read, and had a lot of interesting examples that were very easy to understand. I think most people looking for a non-academic treatment would find it interesting.

"Linked" provides a good overview of the nature and importance of networks. As the world grows increasingly connected via the internet, the importance of networks as a topic has grown more visible in the public eye.

Networks extend well beyond the internet...while the author discusses the internet extensively in this book, other types of networks are covered as well. In fact, it is networks in general that are highlighted in this well-written and engaging book.

Well worth a read for those with an interest in the nature and power of networks.

For some reasons both this one and 'The Tipping point' didn't really appeal to me. As an example in this book there is this attempt to superimpose the 'Bose Einstein condensation' to network properties. I personally didn't see any beef there

After reading Mitchel Resnick's Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (Complex Adaptive Systems), my exploration of decentralized networks went down a very viral path. This book, in particular, discusses the application of network theory in the context of its historical significance. The author explores how it can be used as a tool and device to understand cities, computer networks social networks, human-human interactions (speech), human-computer interactions (HCI), computer-computer interactions (protocol), diseases, computer viruses, nature. Based on this book and its related siblings, it inspires tremendous amounts of ideas for the next big thing in marketing strategy.

Networks all have a meaningful similarity. Whether the network at hand is a party, a cell's molecular reaction, or the puzzling old bridges of Königsberg, Prussia, you could describe each one by using a branch of mathematics called "graph theory," invented by Leonhard Euler in 1736. His long-dormant concept bloomed in the 1990s with the advent of the Internet and continues to yield insights into many important problems. Sounds a bit dry? Don't worry. Albert-László Barabási writes in a lively style (there's nary an equation in sight) with fun, informative anecdotes. The tale of how he and other scientists discovered "the laws of networks" unfolds like a detective story. After reading this book, you'll see networks everywhere and gain deeper insight into disparate phenomena, from biological systems to business organizations to the economics of "increasing returns." We recommend this clear, accessible book to anyone who has ever wondered about the ubiquitous webs that encompass all things. This is popular science at its best.

One of the best books I've read about the subject, especially good for those being introduced to the subject of graph theory and network thinking. One of the few technical page-turners I've had the pleasure to enjoy! Really, could not put it down!

...then you'll love the connections drawn in this text. It more than touches on the realities of "Six Degrees of Separation" (as well as Kevin Bacon!)in an interesting, readable format. You don't need to be a scientist or a mathematition to understand the links, networks, and nodes assessed in this book.

I must admit that it started out a bit slow, but I recommend you stick it out for an enlightening outlook on the interconnectivity of everything.

It seems that science network is the sort of "integrative" science that is much needed in this reductionist age.
I think that this book is simple enough to make a good reading, and with real knowledge of the very frontier of science these days.

...then you'll love the connections drawn in this text. It more than touches on the realities of "Six Degrees of Separation" (as well as Kevin Bacon!)in an interesting, readable format. You don't need to be a scientist or a mathematition to understand the links, networks, and nodes assessed in this book.

I must admit that it started out a bit slow, but I recommend you stick it out for an enlightening outlook on the interconnectivity of everything.

Content is moderately interesting - nothing exceptional that hasn't been said before / better elsewhere.

I recommend "Out Of Control" by Kevin Kelly instead.
Much more research was done in Keven's work which reflects a more detailed and even broader view of the systems research.

I got registered onto a few networking sites like Linkedin, Orkut and Hi5 in March and suddenly started thinking about term Network in social context. Being a computer engineer by profession and having worked on communication networks for last 5 years it was quite obvious to find parallels. And then I stuck upon this book. I must say i wasn't disapponted. Each Ideas has been built with convincing examples and is well supported by results from ongoing research being done by author. I would wait for him to write something on dissemination of information through social networks and network dynamics.

In an informal survey held in a recent webinar, over 50% of the (several hundred) participants ranked "Word-of-Mouth" as the most typical source for leads that convert to paying customers. Interesting...!

In "Linked", Barabasi explores the math behind the network effects we see expressed as "Word-of-Mouth". The result is a set of extremely useful insights into our understanding of links, nodes and the success or failure of "network"-based efforts. The growth of networks is not random, but rather follows "scale-free" laws. This book supports and complements "The Tipping Point", "Unleashing The Ideavirus", and "The Anatomy Of Buzz". Highly recommended for the technical practitioner.

I have been involved in telecommunications networking for years, and recently started up a "community of interest" web site around SOA Networks.

This book will definetly help me understand the evolution and of adoption of networks as they apply to Service-Oriented Architecture.

This book is a excellent read for me, although it might be elementary for many. I loved it!

Gary E. Smith
SOA Network Architect
SOA Networks

As another reviewer mentions, this book is something of a mixed bag. On one hand the author does an excellent job building up his argument, presenting and explaining each chunk in a clear yet sometimes slightly challenging manner. Thus, the reader isn't left with mere fluff and "armchair" suppositions. On the other hand, this is a work intended for the general reader and, therefore, tends towards reduced explanations and lacks the rigor that a more specialized reader (economist, sociologist, mathematician, for example) may desire. Further, the author doesn't provide much direction for those who wish to read further. Aside from the generalizations, some of the information and examples used are already dated - certain examples from the web may seem like ancient history to many readers.

That said, I found this a worthwhile book. It is a relatively easy and pleasant read. The argument develops at a casual pace - though it does develop, this isn't a book to skip around in - with small chunks within each chapter. Moreover, there were enough original ideas to get me thinking, yet enough references with which I was familiar that I could keep my bearings. While I do have a background in Sociology, I suspect that most readers will have similar experiences.

I imagine that specialized readers, that is those who have a strong background studying networks, will find this work a bit too introductory, if not lacking entirely. However, for the casual reader, particularly those interested in "six degrees of separation" relationships, I feel that this book will be a worthwhile read.

This is an interesting book and is easy to read. As a non scientific person I was glad not to come across any heavy math or complex theories but the book is still very intelligently written.

The consquences of network theory look to be profound. In fact it seems to be a framework that you can use to think about many different issues and problems. So beyond the books examples of the network organisation of the Internet, cells, and so on you can use the idea of network theory and apply it to many other situations. I have found it quite useful in trying to understand certain economic effects in Europe, specifcally around the recent rise in Interest rates.

A good book indeed. It will be interesting to read about future findings on complex systems theory which is going to be built on top of this network theory.

"Linked" reveals fascinating similarities in characteristics between such disparate phenomena as our social network, fads & trends, our body's cells, the economy, and the Internet. For example, the success of viruses--both computer and biological--depends upon certain previously unidentified traits and thresholds. These qualities are more about the "network" of which they are part, than any "owned" property of the virus. This means that most of what we thought we knew about the spread of anything (disease, fads, ideas, social connections) before 1999 is basically flawed! While science has attempted to understand how the world works by taking things apart to understand the building blocks (reductionism), we now must learn how elements (or nodes) richly interrelate to the other parts. Researchers have discovered sets of observable, quantifiable rules of operation of these types of "scale-free" networks, as they're called. All branches of the scientific community are affected, and this perspective is being called revolutionary--literally, a "new science." I do not believe this to be hyperbole.

First and foremost, Barabasi's writing style comes as a pleasant surprise as it skillfully explains intricate ideas in simpler terms. From technical networks utilizing microprocessors to personal networks facilitated by notions such as the "six degrees of separation", it provides adequate clarification to those like me who may not be well versed in networking concepts. While I'll admit I do not grasp every concept in its entirety, the basic theories of nodes, links and hubs are very comprehensible and their relevance to telecommunication and interpersonal communication is overwhelming.

Furthermore, I believe the real world examples Barabasi provides concerning "scale-free" networks work well and adequately clarifies his outlook. This book also passionately sheds light on the importance of how nearly all "networks" operate in identical ways. On a personal note, I find the relationships between such networks to be more apparent in my interactions with the East-West Center (E.W.C.) http://eastwestcenter.org/, of which I am affiliated. Linked exemplifies how "traditional" E.W.C. networks are efficiently reinforced by newer technological networking capabilities (i.e. The World-Wide-Web). If nothing else, Linked will invoke an inevitable contemplation as to the vital roles in which different networks play in our daily lives. So then, one must ask: Is this interwoven connectivity of infinite networks a "new science"?

Get Linked and find out.

This book was written for someone like me--the student exploring many of these concepts for the first time. Barabasi spends a lot of time on the evolution of discoveries that has lead to the understanding of networks held by most today. This historical account provides a foundation of understanding, essential for someone trying to grasp this information, but who never was never taught how the field began.

Barabasi writes in a simple but colorful way. He manages to make complex ideas easily understood and interesting by using real-life examples, metaphors, stories and humor. Furthermore, his passion for this subject cannot help but come through. While the title sounds like a textbook, the book reads much more like nonfiction. His style of writing is effective in relaying the information as well as keeping the reader motivated to learn more.

I appreciated his insights on how diverse networks, from sexual relations to the internet to businesses, have similar topologies and are therefore subject to similar rules. And, his challenge to examine things not as individual phenomenon, but as phenomenon inescapably linked.

The book of Ecclesiastes says: "Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new?
It hath been already of old time, which was before us."
The discovery reported in this book is no exception.

The mechanism of generating power law distributions, which Barabasi claimed to have discovered, and named "preferential attachment" has been long known.
It first appears in the 1925 paper by Udny Yule, and was investigated by many researchers, most notably in 1955 by Herbert Simon. Yule's work was not unnoticed: it is described, for example, in the college textbook "Introduction to Probability Theory and its Applications" by William Feller.

Though mathematical description of "preferential attachment" appeared only in 20th century, the general idea was expressed long before. Gospel according to Matthew quotes Jesus as saying "unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance". Similar quotations appear in Luke's and Mark's Gospels.

Barabasi does mention Jesus in his book, but only in the context that Christianity became so successful not because Jesus was son of God, but because Paul craftily spread it through his social networks.

I think that scientists should stop this vanity of vanities and read the Bible.

In "Linked," Barabasi does a commendable job in explaining the nitty gritty of network analysis to newbies unversed in this fascinating new science. Barabasi sets up a great foundation, although the book does leave much to be desired: there is no real information as to how individuals can apply the theoretical principles Barabasi explains to practical situations. A book that does just that is "The Hidden Power of Social Networks," by Rob Cross and Andrew Parker. That book is also more appropriate for the business executive -- although it presupposes that the reader is familiar with much of the basics of network analysis (the kind of information Barabasi magnificiently explains). All in all, a great introductory read to the science of network analysis -- but expect to need more to be truly satisfied.

"Linked" by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi should be read by all who would know how intricate systems like the World Wide Web are interconnected for several reasons. First, he writes well, developing in narrative form the emergence of his interest in the subject. This is unusual for a scientist. Second, he thoroughly understands his subject, as is often not the case for science writers. Finally, the author presents several quantitative ideas which the general reader will find useful.

The most important of the ideas he presents is the prevalence of "power-law distributions" of the interconnections in many linked systems that have grown naturally, including movies (by their actors), members of an audience (through auditory cues), social systems (family ties, school ties, friendships, etc.), biological organisms (biochemical signals), the brain (neural interconnections), the WWW (URL links), and so on.

A fascinating fact, which has been determined by those programs that crawl through the internet gathering data on linkage, is that the probability of a site (yours?) having k links is proportional to k raised to the minus 2.1 power. Thus if there are N links to your site, a bit of math shows that you are among the highest M sites, where M equals one over N raised to the 1.1 power. You can estimate N for your home page by picking a key phrase from it and looking on Google. Try it!

Alwyn Scott
http://personal.riverusers.com/~rover/

I read "Linked" after reading "The Tipping Point", hoping to find a somewhat more detailed exposition of networks. "Linked" provides this. Unfortunately, there just isn't that much to write about.

The main (and only) point that Barabasi makes is that most networks (particularly the ones he considers) are so-called scale-free networks, as opposed to random networks, and he gives plenty of real world examples to back this up. While this is a significant and intriguing point, it perhaps does not merit an entire book. The obstacle that "Linked" never overcomes is that its substance is purely observational: We learn "How everything is connected to everything else" but not why it is so or "what it means". This is particularly true later on in the book, in Barabasi's discussions of terror networks, corporate boards, and biochemistry.

"Linked" starts out fascinatingly and finishes boringly. Too bad.

Linked focuses on network theory and some of its applications, where networks are defined as dynamic linear graphs. It is written for the non-mathematicians, and in fact does a very good job of giving the reader insight into how the mathematical modeler thinks and works, and what mathematical modeling is (the phrase "dynamic linear graphs" does not actually appear in the text). "Linked" is kind of an intellectual memoir, and especially in the first few chapters, is charming as well as informative. The problem is that Barabasi has an inflated view of the importance and primacy of his work and interests vis-a-vis the general subject of the theory of complex systems. Also, while Barbasi strikes me as intellectually honest, his lack of knowledge of such subjects as cellular biology leads him to erroneous claims for what insights may be attributed to recent work in network modeling. He is on stronger grounds when he discusses narrow subjects such as the links between corporate directors, and Barabasi does seem to know quite a bit about sociological modeling and the Internet. In terms of intellectual stimulation and excitement, Linked does not begin to match up with Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson, and I guess I was expecting something more comparable to that book.

This book has some amazing insights and easy to read. It will inspire those who are dealing with the concepts of scale. Other comments have talked about Alberts ego trips but they arent ego trips. This book is written by someone that is very far into his field and is a part of it in real life. This book made me realize that there is endless inspiration on the internet and also check out this books website for some beautiful color images that accompany the chapters.

Complexity can be redefined into pattern and pattern redefined into relationship and process. In doing that we feel in control or at least a little comforted. We feel that all things are interrelated, linked. Professor Barabasi makes a compelling case for this in his book, Linked.

I recommend this book to everyone with the least bit of system or pattern recognition and the hunch that it's all related. Linked does not go off in either extreme: spirituality or quantum physics. The grounding is thoughtful and welcome.

My only contrary thought and I thank the author for raising it in me, is how do we unlink? Is it possible? Is it welcome? These questions come more from a personal psychological perspective. This book has opened a new area for me to ponder. Thanks.

"Ecosystems display a tolerance to errors rarely seen in human-made systems." My title and the previous statement give an idea of the wide area the study of networking covers.If you've ever wondered at how things are interconnected,this is the book for you.Is there any science to how things are linked?That science and principles seems to be very difficult.Believe it or not,Networking is in its early stages of being developed as a sciecce ,even though the results of interconnections,links,tie-ins,or whatever you want to call them,have been evident for a long time.This book is a good introduction to this study;but at this stage it is more about observations and definitions than answers and/or mathematical formulae.Overall the book is a very interesting and requires no mathematical prowness;in other words,easily understood.

The beginning of this book promises much more than what is really inside. I agree with one of the reviews that it could have been shortend a lot. The book seems to be written in a style similar to books on more important issue (for mankid, in my opinion), e.g. DNA, with (too) many personal facts of litlle momentum. In my opinion the ideas and "discoveries" reported by the author are not at this level, as the constant use of marvelous adjectives largely scattered in the book seems to suggest. I think that also a book written for the general public should consider humility as a texture on which to build this type of communication.

An E-Review by Kelsey Nakanelua of:
Linked: The New Science of Networks
By: Albert-Laszlo Barabasi

The book, Linked the New Science of Networks is a great place to start in getting information concerning the connectivity of our complicated lives.
The concepts presented our explained with enough history and insight that the reader will begin to formulate his/her own ideas.
He takes us from Mafia Boy's hacking of Yahoo, giving a historical perspective on nodes and hubs. The emergence and relevance of mathematics and economics involved with networks. By laying down foundations in mathematics, economics, and physics, his concepts have credibility and I could grasp the overall concept that networks are becoming a "new science".

His ability to bring the 80/20 rule of economist Vilfredo Pareto, the scale free model, Power Laws, and Microsoft's connection to the Bose-Einstein condensation is engaging.
Barbabasi ability to use current events of Hollywood and Kevin Bacon's Six Degrees of Separation to emphasize how nodes and hubs are design in networks makes reading the book entertaining. All of these various examples point to the concept that there are well connected hubs and the fit hub is key to the development and demise of the networks.
I enjoyed all the history revolving around the various topics presented. He identifies and credits Paul Baran with conceptualizing the Internet. The history then follows Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) involvement in the Internet as it involved.

The closing chapters focus on the Internet, life and disease, the economy, and terrorist's networks. Barabasi touches on economic networks, by showing the links of Vernon Jordan, a "well connected hub" in Washington D.C. Having a background in economics, I enjoyed both his Power Law history and connection with Pareto. I would have liked to have more information regarding some other economic networks, perhaps, Greenspan and other prominent economist around the country. Or even a Wall Street or Chicago's financial network.

Naming the Al Qaeda networks a true web without a spider. Meaning the network will survive without the leader. These organizations and others like them have self-organized topology. He gives a brief outline that describes elimination of social, economic, and political issues, which will deter the desire to form these types of networks that lead to terrorism.
I would also be interested in history and background of the military, since I currently serve in the Naval Reserve. I would like to know the history and "new science" information regarding the military and their networks and hubs. One that comes to mind is Oliver North, which would be tied politically, but interesting. Another network I would interest in the Whitewater network and the Clinton's involvement.



Finally, the book deals with explaining this new science for our lives. Now, that there is an understanding of the different types of networks, I would like to see a formal plan for dealing or solving the problem areas in today's "linked" world.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and increased my interest in the field of networks.

Barabasi's "Linked" is an excellent introducton into the theory underlying social networks...with enough detail to give the more intent reader a clear and thoughtful view of the discipline. As a marketing strategist often called on to answer the question "How do we reach customers in age of TiVo, pop-up blockers and SPAM filters?" I found Barabasi provided a really solid treatment about the mechanics of social networks and their practical application, e.g., word-of-mouth marketing as a consumer-driven versus advertiser-driven channel. Perhaps not for the casual reader, though to be sure there is no reason why anyone choosing to apply him/herself to this book can't take away some truly valuable insights. "Linked" is a "must read" for marketers and advertisers as well as brand/product managers.

This is an excellent book. The author is extremely able to explain difficult concepts about complex systems in a simple and precise manner, using examples from a variety of domains. The richness of applications -- ranging from spread of epidemics to the internet-- is the first strength of the book and of the theory of scale free networks that appear to be a very promising and original tool to understand the web of interactions of complex systems. The second strength is the clarity of writing: a rarity in the scientific world. This book is an example of good writing with the objective of being understood and making science accessible.

I first heard the author speak on NPR. Not only was I enthralled with his intelligence and clarity of thought, I was captivated by the promise of a new perspective on the connectedness of all things, from the sizes of stars in a galaxy to the revolution in internet search engines to the biology of the cell. This book delivers on that promise with insight, wit and style.

Albert Barabasi presents the lay reader with a stimulating description of the origins of network theory and recent applications. He describes random networks, small world and scalefree networks. In nonrandom networks the importance of hubs is emphasized. Small world networks are the ones with a well defined averge number of links, and in scalefree ones the density of links scales as a power law. For the many interesting examples discussed, I would like to have seen graphs showing scaling over at least three decades in order to be convinced of scaling. However, in practice, whether a network scales or not may not be so important. I liked best the discussions of terrorism, AIDS, and biology. If one could locate the hubs, then a small world network could be destroyed, but as the author points out there is no systematic method for locating the hubs. Also, destroyed hubs in a terror network might be replaced rather fast, whereas airline hubs could not be replaced so quickly. The book might be seen as indicating a starting point to try to develop a branch of mathematical sociology. For example, the maintainance of ethnic identity outside the Heimat is discussed in terms of networking. Now for a little criticism.

I did not find the discussion of ?the rich get richer` very helpful because network theory at this stage deals only with static geometry, not with empirically-based dynamics. In fact, the dynamics of financial markets have been described empirically accurately without using any notion of networking. In the text the phrase ?economic stability" is used but stability is a dynamic idea, and there is no known empirical evidence from the analysis of real markets for any kind of stability. The absence of dynamics on networks means that complexity is not described at all: there is nothing complex about the geometry of a static network! Suggesting that cell biology can be described by networking is empty so long as dynamics are not deduced from empirics. Nonempirical models of dynamics will probably not be of much use for making advances in understanding or treating cancer, e.g. Everything we know about cell biology and cancer was discovered via reductionism, by isolating cause and effect the way that a good auto mechanic does in order to repair a car.

Unfortunately, the author lets his enthusiasm get the best of him when he proclaims ?laws of self-organization" and the need to go beyond reductionism. First, there are no known laws of ?self-organization". The only known laws of nature are the laws of physics and consequences deduced from the laws, namely, chemistry and cell biology. Worse, every mathematical model that can be written down is a form of reductionism. Quantum theory reduces phenomena to (explains phenomena via) atoms and molecules. All of chemistry is about that. Cell biology attempts to reduce observed phenomena to DNA, proteins, and cells. Believers in self-organized criticality try to reduce the important features of nature to the equivalent of sandpiles. Network enthusiasts hope to reduce phenomena to nodes and links. In order to try to isolate cause and effect, there is no escape from reductionism of one form or another, holism being an empty illusion. So I did not at all like the assertion on pg. 200 that globalization (via deregulation and privatization) is inevitable, because there is no law that tells us that it is.

Summarizng: there is no complexity without dynamics, there are no known ?laws of self-organization", and reductionism is the only hope for doing science. Anyone who disagrees with this is welcome to explain to me and others the alternative (jmccauley@uh.edu).

Written by a leading researcher in the field, Linked offers ordinary people a glimpse into the fascinating and complex world of networks. The book covers everything from social networks, to economic networks, to chemical networks, to the World Wide Web, and exposes some of the underlying principles responsible for network structure.

Linked explains the importance and prevalence hubs in networks, it highlights the strengths and vulnerabilities of different types of networks and offers insights into such interesting phenomena as the small world effect (best illustrated by the six degrees to Kevin Bacon game).

The book does have its weak spots, and it seems to slow down a bit after about 150 pages. However, the book is divided into very short chapters and is filled with many interesting anecdotes - all this means that even the occasional weak chapter moves along nicely.

All in all, a great and easy to read book for fans of popular science, but be aware that the underlying topic is complex and the occasional equation does find its way into the book. I skipped over most of these equations and found that my understanding of the concepts and my enjoyment of the book were not diminished. I highly recommend this book.

I liked it. I read, but I rarely finish a book. I finished this one.

After reading a third of the book, I finally gave up out of sheer disinterest. The way the book is presented would probably be ideal for a student of network dynamics, or even a mathmetician. For an average reader like myself, it is far too detailed and laborious. There is very little entertainment value in the discussions that surround the occasional revelations. My suggestion: Read the abbridged version.

I had received this book from a friend, and my expectations were high, too high.

The book starts good, but it runs out of gas about halfway, when the author keeps repeating the same theories over and over again, just trying to get enough 'search keywords" in his book to get more hits on book search engines.

Also, it is too obvious that it is written by a theoretical scientist, not an observational one. Once he has an idea of how his theory 'should' be, he is just adding enough components and factors to his formula to prove that the reality is exactly like his theory. A scientist should sometimes accept that he's not able to explain what he sees. The author was to proud to get to that stage.

I also agree with some other reviewers that the author does a great job promoting his own accomplishments, 'en passant' slapping in the face of government agencies for not granting him money for his research.

Overall, the book would have been better at about 100 page instead of 226.

I stuggled through the book, but it was a big effort, and I did it only because I received the book and promised to discuss it. If my expectations had been lower, I would have appreciated this more.

I am very interested by the subject, but will have to look for the better books about it.

Barabasi's Linked is a pretty good intro to the science of networks. It covers much the same ground as Buchanan's Nexus including discussions about random v. nonrandom networks, six degrees of separation related stuff, the AIDS epidemic, etc. Linked also covers a several more topics in greater detail than does Nexus including viruses and fads, and Barabasi presents very good discussions of search engines and the good-old-boy network of board members. Another appealing aspect of the book is that the author and his co-workers were involved in a number of the developments in the science of networks, so we can be sure that the author's explanations are grounded in his own experience.

If you want to read one book about networks and you're deciding between Nexus and Linked, I would recommend Nexus, however. Nexus' discussions are deeper, and its presentation and writing are better.

Having read both "Linked" and "A New Kind of Science" I feel compelled to add my two cents to some other reviewer who unfavorably compares Barabasi to Wolfram.

While it is true that Linked is a bit light on the underlying math - not trivial by all means - and that there are chapters the book would be better without (last three notably, as well as the already-mentioned analysis of M$ dominance) this remains an interesting introduction to networks theory. We do not need rocket science to tell us that a scale-free network has its' vulnerability in its hubs, but I find it interesting and not entirely common sense that it is INHERENTLY more robust than a random network.

I find some of the critique here a bit petty (perhaps penned by fellow scientists ?). Barabasi comes out IMHO as a witted scientist with a knack for explaining stuff to the masses, an art in which Richard Feynman (alredy mentioned here and perhaps my all-time favorite hero) excelled. Perhaps a 100-page compendium would make a better reading, but there seems to be an unwritten publishing rule whereby no essay shorter than 250 pages sells.

On the other hand, I have rarely witnessed such an inflated ego as the one self-portrayed by Stephen Wolfram who bombastically claims to have invented a whole New Kind of Science ! His 1,200-page tome uses all variations of the "I" pronoun *ad nauseam* and there are whole sections who could be happily burned to no consequence to the reader (e.g. the proof-free wanderings on biochemistry et al.), not to mention the gazillion diagrams which cease to astonish well before you peruse the fiftieth.

In my opinion, Barabasi's book is a decent addition to the existing books on complexity and networks. The author himself is an acknowledged authority of the field of networks. I disagree with some previous critiques that suggest that the book is empty. The book in fact covers a lot of material with just enough technical detail that a layman can understand. The author is able to explain well how various networks form, work, how they fail etc., bringing examples from a wide variety of fields. The text itself is easily readable and provides the reader a good and intuitive understanding of networks without essentially resorting to the language of mathematics which is exactly what Richard Feynman does in his famous book "The character of physical law". If anybody tried to do this, this is not at all an easy task and hence I consider it a nice achievement. Just to mention one particular example, I have not seen such a crystal clear explanation of the strange and somewhat mystic "power law" distribution that shows up in virtually all complex systems and which most books fail to communicate to the public. So if you are looking for an entertaining book which also provides a good and easy introduction into networks at work, you should read it.

Prologue:
How come there is no 0 or negative choice
for the rating? I did NOT want to choose 1 star,
but -5 stars.

Review:
Writing a popular science book is not as trivial as one
might think. Here is a (minimal) set of rules:
* FIRST and foremost, the author must know the field well
and must have contributed to it substantially.
* SECOND, the author must know how to address to the general
public in an honest, scientific way.
* THIRD (and most evidently), the book must be written in a
language that can be understood by the layman, but, not necessarily,
completely effortlessly.
* FOURTH, it is important that the author's primary target
be not that he/she try to make the reader "feel good" only
(if people can be made to believe that they understand
something totally outside their field of expertise,
then they feel good about themselves, but, feeling good
without learning anything is a waste of time;
why not go hiking instead?)
* FIFTH, the author should remain humble about his/her
achievements, for there is no purpose in boasting about
them to the general public.

Unfortunately, the author, A.-L. Barabasi, miserably
fails in all of them:
* FIRST, it appears that his contributions (as far as one
can tell by reading his papers) are minimal.
* SECOND, the exposition of the subject is not honest,
because he hides the complexity, substituting it instead
by a tremendous amount of repetition.
* THIRD, while it is true that the book can be understood
by everyone, the fact that it can be done while taking
a nap (i.e., effortlessly) should be an indication of
its emptiness.
* FOURTH, alas, the only outcome of reading this book
is that the reader feels good. (See multi-star reviews below.)
* FIFTH, the author never fails to seize the opportunity
to tell the reader of his accomplishments.

Incidentally, a book that marvelously complies to the
above rules is "The Character of Physical Law" by
Richard Feynman, as well as--at a more technical level--his
Lectures on Physics.

Let me conclude the review by giving another network for
which the degree of a node is a super-duper heavy-tailed
variable: Consider as nodes the people on this planet,
living or dead, and link two of them if they have the same
first name (ignoring variants due to language transformations,
e.g., John, Johann, Johannes, Ivan, Ioannis, etc. are
considered the same). This is a truly small world.
So small, that, for example, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
is at distance one from Albert Einstein.

I wonder how come the author failed to notice this example
and create yet another chapter (or "link").

He has my permission to use this idea
in the next edition of his book.

I have focused this review on the audience of the book, since other reviews have quite adequately summarized the material.

There have been a lot of books recently that have been published on the new science of networks. Network theory and how it applies to many different fields from technology, marketing, biology, social science, terrorism, disease control etc. (Six Degrees by Duncan Watts, Nexus - Mark Buchanan, Smart Mobs - Howard Rheingold, Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell etc..).

Barabasi's is a welcome addition to the field and has a nice niche, which isn't filled by the other books. As some other reviewers have pointed this book is a popular science book, which means it covers scientific and mathematical theories at a very high level and makes these theories accessible to a wide audience. The niche lies somewhere between Gladwell's Tipping Point and Watt's Six Degrees. It is very well written and draws you in with stories that explore the theories. Some of the other reviewers have complained that Barabasi has done a disservice to the theories that he explains by making them too simplistic. I disagree, I actually found this book to be very rewarding, and a quick read, which is a sign of a well-written book. I have never been a fan of scientific and academic books that pride themselves on being totally incomprehensible. Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize winning physicist, once said that if someone truly understands a subject they should be able to explain it to a general audience without resorting to technical jargon (Feynman's Lectures on Physics Vol 1,2,3 are a perfect example). To be able to explain a complex subject you need to resort analogies, examples and stories. Stories give a framework for the general reader to absorb the complex material. Barabasi has managed to explain the science of networks using all three. I am not sure how this can be seen as a bad thing. This exposes a wider audience to a very interesting subject; this has to be good thing.

Summary:
Anybody who loved Gladwell's Tipping Point and was looking for a book that explains some of the theories behind the phenomena will love this book. It's a little bit more technical than Gladwell's book, but it is well written and it will appeal to a wide audience. As popular science books go, this is definitely on par with Ed Regis's Nano and Steven Levy's Artificial Life, but not quite at the level of Gleick's Chaos. If you are looking for a technical book, you should look at Duncan Watt's Six Degrees, or Small Worlds.

Popular science sells, no doubt about it. Authors like Barabasi
know how to exploit the science-thirsty public in the following way: their writing appeals to many people, ranging from pseudo-mathematicians to readers of Foreign Review, by making them believe that they understand some deep new phenomena. Undoubtedly, the average reader will not search the bibliography to discover that many of the papers cited in this book, including Barabasis's papers, are scientifically and mathematically empty. While it is true that some of the models described in this book can LEAD to interesting science and mathematics, the author does not have the skills to do so.
The author and his collaborators just OBSERVE certain phenomena
and come up with simple models, which they are unable to analyze
mathematically. Instead, they perform simulations and experiments. The book impresses the reader by supposedly showing
connections between modern physics and networks. Read the chapter
on the Bose Einstein condensation and its role to the Microsoft
domination in the software market and, if you know something
about both subjects, you will laugh your heart out at the author's naivete. Why does the author not try to do serious physics but, rather, attempts to deal with a subject like this?
Because it is a quick path to fame. He merely sells science to non-scientists, in a rude, awckward, non-scientific, impolite,
self-promoting manner. He basically insults the average reader's

intellectual ability. The contents of the book can be summarized
in at most 10 pages. The story is repetitive. To be sure [sic],
Barabasi uses an eloquent language and hides repetition under the rug. Check some of the papers cited in the book. Check, e.g.,
the paper of Faloutsos et al., to see that the authors of this--allegedly important article--did not observe that two of the functions they estimated are inverses of one another and hence there was no need to perform the experiment anew. (Either Barabasi did not read the paper or he did not understand the
math in it... Yet he did cite it.) I mostly like the chapter where the author concludes that in order to attack a network you really need to attack its hubs. Let's get serious now. Do you need Quantum Statistics to predict that? Well, sorry, if a funding agency is willing to fund research that results in such
conclusions, then, I regret to say, public funds are going down the drain. It's not the first nor the last time this happens.
But, to be sure [sic], Barabasi is grinning while reading my review: he surely knows that no matter what I say he remains firm in his sand-castle kingdom; he knows that my review is irrelevant and that the readers of his book, the students of his classes, the program directors of his funding agencies, and the general public are closing their ears.