Földvári Books

FACEBOOK – Six Degree of Separation

Karinthy, Frigyes

Minden másképpen van. (Ötvenkét vasárnap.) [Everything Is Different. (Fifty-Two Sundays.)]

Budapest: Atheneum Irodalmi és Nyomdai R.-T. (1929). First edition. In publisher’s blue buckram, with gilt ornaments on front panel. Gilt title to spine. 326, [2] p. In fine condition.

First edition of the short story “Láncszemek” (Chain-Links; pp. 85–91), the origin of the concept of the six degrees of separation, the theory that everyone is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world.

The theory derives from Karinthy’s idea of “shrinking world”, meaning that due to the technological advances in communication and travel the networks of friendships could grow larger which makes the social distances smaller. This idea influenced the early thoughts on social networks of sociologists, mathematicians, and physicists. But even in a 2011 research, there is reference to Karinthy’s original idea. This survey used the data of 721 million active Facebook users and found the average distance of separation 4.74.

An interesting piece with great importance of cultural history, and history of science.

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Price: €2,000.00