NETWORKS OF NEW YORK arrived in print, and I read most of in an afternoon at a local place that brings me wine and meat. It’s a new book by my acquaintance Ingrid Burrington, whom I met when we were speaking together at Haunted Machines in Manchester, and whom I nearly killed onstage by idly suggesting that I couldn’t look at the Snapchat branding without seeing the ghost of a dead baby and wondering what the fuck was up with that. There’s video of her covering her face and creasing over. Ingrid’s great. And, more importantly, much smarter than me and much less likely to say such terrible things in public. Ingrid is observant. And this book is Ingrid at full power.

It is, simply put, a field guide to the physical signs of the network in New York. It’s also a history, and a consideration of the nature of living inside the internet. It is completely fascinating, from the hobo code of street markings to the spider-ate-fly corporate evolutions that tangle up the law and the money mantling every cable, pipe and junction under the city. It’s a history of the internet, a history of New York, a history of communications and a history of business, all at once. And it’s a gorgeous production- the design is superb. Very recommended.

NETWORKS OF NEW YORK, Ingrid Burrington (UK) (US)