<CENTER><B>A <I>NEW YORK TIMES</I> NOTABLE BOOK<P> A <I>VOICE LITERARY SUPPLEMENT</I> TOP 25 FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR<P> AN <I>ESQUIRE</I> MAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR</B></CENTER> <P> In the tradition of <I>Being Digital</I> and <I>The Tipping Point,</I> Steven Johnson, acclaimed as a "cultural critic with a poet's heart" <I>(The Village Voice),</I> takes readers on an eye-opening journey through emergence theory and its applications. Explaining why the whole is sometimes smarter than the sum of its parts, Johnson presents surprising examples of feedback, self-organization, and adaptive learning. How does a lively neighborhood evolve out of a disconnected group of shopkeepers, bartenders, and real estate developers? How does a media event take on a life of its own? How will new software programs create an intelligent World Wide Web? <P> In the coming years, the power of self-organization -- coupled with the connective technology of the Internet -- will usher in a revolution every bit as significant as the introduction of electricity. Provocative and engaging, <I>Emergence</I> puts you on the front lines of this exciting upheaval in science and thought.