The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson‏

This book’s full title is The Square and the Towner: Networks, Hierarchies, and the Struggle for Global Power. This is another great book by Niall Ferguson. I think that he has a unique view of how the world works. I think the most interesting comments from the book is about the printing press producing both religious conflict and also the Enlightenment.

If you notice by my reviews, I look at reviews by a number of people and also videos that I find. I think this provides an understanding of a book much better. Everyone sees the world differently. To read a review you often find ideas about a book that never occurred to you. Also seeing interviews of authors and hearing authors talk about their subject gives you a better understand and often present things in ways that give you a different and more broader understanding of what they wanted to convey in their books.

Andrew Anthony on The Guardian just tells us he finds this book confusing. There are good reviews on Good Reads. Some like the book and some have some criticisms of it. Jonathan A. Knee on the New York Times has an interesting review.

Niall Ferguson is interviewed at the Hoover Institution by Peter Robinson. Jason Howell interviews Niall Ferguson on TWiT Netcast Network. This is a short video, but not as good as the one by Hoover Institution. (There will be an ad to begin, but it can soon bypass it.) Quentin Hardy moderates a Google Talk with Niall Ferguson. Niall Ferguson speaks at Politics and Prose Book Shop and Coffee Shop.

An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.

A History of Canada in Ten Maps by Adam Shoalts

This book’s full title is A History of Canada in Ten Maps, Epic Stories of Charting a Mysterious Land. I found this quite an interesting book with even the maps interesting. He talks a bit about the War of 1812 when Americans invaded Canada (Ontario) and left it a it a charred, smoldering wasteland. They said they wanted to free us from the British, but burning our homes just left southern Ontario with bitter and deep feelings against the Americans. A distrust that still seems to be here, at least in the older generation.

Yes, the book says it is about maps, and there is copies of these maps in the book, but it could also be about 10 stories of Canada. I think others pointed this out in reviews. This is storytelling and the way history should be taught.

There was some short and interesting reviews of this book on Amazon. Charlotte Gray does a very good job in her review of this book on the Globe and Mail. As usual, there are some good reviews on Good Reads. This is not the best review I read, but Lyle Dick is writing for a magazine of Canadian History. A much better review is by Harry Wilson for Canadian Geographic.

Book Trailer: A History of Canada in 10 Maps video is here. I must admit I really like this. Adam Shoalts talks on the Morning Show on Global News. There is a short interview of Adam Shoalts on Cogeco TV. There is also another video about an expedition he took for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society . Adam Shoalts seems to have his own YouTube Channel.

An index of the books I have reviewed are on my website at Books. I have three blogs. The first talks only about specific stocks and is called Investment Talk . The second one contains information on mostly investing and is called Investing Economics Mostly. My last blog is for my book reviews and it is called Non-Fiction Mostly. Follow me on Twitter.