Part I: Popularity and the mind
The power of exposure: featuring Claude Monet, Adele, and Donald Trump
The Maya rule: featuring ESPN, Spotify, and the first NASA space station
The music of sound: featuring John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and ABBA
The myth-making mind I: the force of story: featuring Star Wars, Isaac Asimov, and Hollywood psychohistory
The myth-making mind II: the dark side of hits: featuring Hungarian vampires, Disney princesses, and cable news
The birth of fashion: featuring Taylor Swift, the printing press, and the laugh track
Interlude: A brief history of teens
Part II: Popularity and the market
Rock and roll and randomness: featuring the Mona Lisa, "Rock around the clock," and chaos theory
The viral myth: featuring Fifty Shades of Grey, John Snow, and Pokémon GO
The audience of my audience: featuring Etsy, Bumble, and Moonies
What the people want I: the economics of prophecy: featuring Game of Thrones, Seinfeld, and Shazam
What the people want II: a history of pixels and ink: featuring the tabloid, the television, and the news feed
The futures of hits: empire and city-state: featuring Mickey Mouse, BuzzFeed, and Kid A.