Albert-László BarabásiLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life

I'm reading a lot on complexity theory for my Master's course. While a bit dated, this was a great primer. It explains quite dense subject matter in a clear, succinct and accessible way. It's helped change my worldview, and several times since reading it I have found it relevant to situations in work, uni, or life in general. Everyone should read this. I'd love to read an updated version that takes into account the iPhone and the pandemic, among other developments of the past 15 or so years.

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.

A gentle introduction to the concept of networks and related topics in graph theory and statistics. Very light on math (most formulas are relegated to footnotes), heavy on examples from a wide variety of fields, interesting trivia and wit. Barabási starts the book with a simple network model and gradually introduces enhancements to it, showing the adventages and limitations of each intermediary step. This book is a joy to read and it can help you get in the proper mindset to "grok" networks; however, it won't make you an expert in computer science or social media marketing. You should also be aware that it was published in 2002, long before the era of Facebook and web apps (the author, rather endearingly, calls web pages "documents" and capitalizes "Website") so adjust your expectations accordingly. All in all, a good pop-science book.

I found the book quite interesting. You don't need to be an expert math person to understand it. The book examines many types of networks such as webpages, citation networks, molecule delays, Airline Routing, Income Distribution, Popular Press Literature, Distance over which atoms communicate, Phase transitions in materials, and Experimental data. These are examples of Power Distribution and not Bell Curve distribution networks, as most people believe them to be. The author explains in detail how the different types of networks can be sensitive to deliberate forms of attack. It is interesting how the internet just expanded by its self and became organized in a way no one expected.

Book shipped fast and it was a nice price. Downside is that the book came dirty on the front and back cover and on the side of the book. 4/10 would buy from again.

I really enjoyed this eminently readable book. I consumed it in one sitting last night. Not only is it intellectually stimulating, "Linked" has proved to be quite practical. My business involves the facilitation of entrepreneurial networks. Laszlo Barabasi's erudite explanation of scale-free networks helped me better understand a mis-match between the structure of the network we serve and the structuring and pricing of our services. The former won't change, so we're working hard to figure out how to better adapt the latter.

What it says is true and it is extremely informative (almost too much so) because each chapter is the same practically; and if you've studied much about networks or sociology at all, many of it is already secondary. Good book for people who want a lot of needless text.

Nice introduction to network science, reads almost like a novel.

Like all of Barabasi’s books, Linked is a book about science that can be read as easily as a novel.While detailed and thoroughly documented with scientific evidence, it takes the reader on a pleasurable journey in the fascinating world of networks. Peppered with interesting anecdotes, it keeps you hooked until the end. Once finished, you wonder how you managed to live in the ignorance about networks for so long.Highly recommended for scientists and laypeople interested in physics.

Barabasi surveys a familiar world of crowds and populations, molecules and atoms, clusters and hubs from a vantage point that will be new to the average enquiring mind. Networks, he says, enable us to understand complexity and his arguments are carefully deployed for a lay audience, well marshalled and absorbing. Not all networks affect us directly but more do than we imagine: some are a blessing others are downright dangerous. Its a new view of the human condition and a reassuring one given how frequently we grumble about an environment in which chaos seems to reign supreme. This is a rational and elegant study of a branch of knowledge that disperses the haze over a vast and varied expanse of human behaviour and seeks to civilise our outlook. It will explain a lot, rouse your imagination and it's well written.

A nontechnical introduction to network theory, perhaps too much storytelling for my liking, but not a bad skim. It helps that Albert Barabási is a physicist having had published papers on modelling networks. Ultimately though, I preferred "Networks: A Very Short Introduction".

Clear explanations for the non-specialist, with well-chosen examples. I would recommend to anyone interested in understanding the basics of networks.

It is a very accessible introduction to the topic.