Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 264 pages
- Published by: Princeton University Press November 24, 2003
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0691117047
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0691117041
-
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
- Weighs: 13.4 ounces
Product Review
Science : An engaging and informative introduction.
Peter Kareiva, "Quarterly Review of Biology" Quarterly Review of Biology : Playfully and clearly written. . . . [Watts] uses examples adroitly, and mixes abstract theory with real-world anecdotes with superb skill. . . . I have not enjoyed reading a book this much in a long time.
Robert Matthews, "New Scientist" New Scientist : [
Small Worlds] will be seized on by those seeking a first rough map of this fascinating new mathematical land. Those entering can expect to find some amazing connections between areas of research with apparently nothing in common, such as neurology to business studies. But then, it's a small world.
Choice : Informally written and aimed at a wide audience, this book shows how mathematics yields new vistas on ubiquitous and seemingly familiar aspects of our world.
Product Review
William L. Ditto, Applied Chaos Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology : Duncan Watts has created that rarity of rarities: a book with enough fascinating facts and stories to keep the casual reader turning the pages coupled with enough engaging detail to satisfy the most technically sophisticated reader. Thus, whether you are just curious about the world around you or eager to begin your own small-world research, this is the definitive guide to the fascinating and profound world of small-world networks.
Gilbert Strang, Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology : A good book on a fascinating topic--why two widely separated people are often connected by a small number of steps from friend to friend. We do indeed live in a 'small world.' When something happens so often there must be a reason--Duncan Watts is looking for it.
J. J. Collins, Center for BioDynamics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University : Duncan Watts's and Steve Strogatz's 1998 Nature paper on 'The collective dynamics of small-world networks' reinvigorated interest in the small-world phenomenon. Now, in
Small Worlds, Watts follows up on this work with a detailed but accessible account of small-world networks that will appeal to both scientists and nonscientists. With examples ranging from the Kevin Bacon Game to models for the spread of diseases, Watts provides a clear description of how the structure of small-world networks can be characterized and a sense of how the interconnectivity of such networks can lead to intriguing dynamics. Be sure to tell your friends and their friends about this book.
Harrison White, Department of Sociology, Columbia University : Enchanting! A voyage of exploration with fascinating byroads that yet brings the reader to powerful and useable conclusions. This work is worthy of Stanley Milgram exactly because Watts goes well beyond the original visualization while retaining its transparency.
Robert A. J. Matthews, Aston University, U.K. : If you are a postgraduate looking to make your name or a seasoned researcher looking for new challenges, this book offers something rare: a chance to get in at the ground floor of a whole new area of research whose variety of exciting applications is exceeded only by their abundance.
Marshall W. Meyer, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania :
Small Worlds is outstanding. Watts begins with a simple observation: clustered networks, networks characterized by a large fraction of short ties and a small fraction of 'shortcuts' linking clusters with one another, appear in diverse settings and more frequently than might be expected. Watts then demonstrates that the dynamical behavior of these networks is highly sensitive to structure. The book is must reading, although not easy reading, for social scientists interested in networks, decision-making, and organizational design.(In other words, this is a high-investment, high-payoff book.)
Simon A. Levin, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University : This is a remarkably novel analysis, with implications for a broad range of scientific disciplines, including neurobiology, sociology, ecology, economics, and epidemiology. . . . The results are potentially profoundly important.
Larry Blume, Cornell University : Theoretical research on social networks has been hampered by a lack of models which capture the essential properties of large numbers of graphs with only a few key parameters. All the dyads, triads and acyclic mappings which fill the social network literature lead merely to a long enumeration of special cases. The random graph models introduced by Watts provide a rich foundation for future analytical and empirical research. The applications to dynamics in part 2 illustrate the richness of these models and promise even more exciting work to come.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: Small Worlds (Hardcover)
I read the review in New Scientist, and liked the sound of this book. When it arrived I read the blurb on the back, and was further encouraged by the fact that a Sociology Professor was encouraging students to read it. I was therefore expecting a reasonably tough but rewarding read (my math is at undergraduate level and somewhat dated, but I do make an effort). Instead with the exception of a few pieces of commentary, particularly at the beginning, I found the book virtually impenetrable because of the denseness of the mathematical modelling techniques used. I suspect this is one strictly for the experts, and those with excellent post-graduate math skills.
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