The Book of Memes describes an engineer's model of How the World Works. It examines the types of tribes that humanity has created since the Stone Age, the interactions between and within them, and the memes that carry the Tribe's culture into the future.

One thread throughout the book is the Great Memes, two ideas that changed history more than any others. They are the Barbarian meme, which separates the Stone Age from the Age of Empire, and the Trust meme, which ushered in our current Age of Plenty. The number, types, and behaviors of human Tribes has changed over time. Complexity theory has much to say about the behaviors of Tribes.

Each of us belongs to several tribes: Family, Country, Church, Party, perhaps a Union. Each type of tribe provides a distinct service and expects some loyalty in return. Readers should be aware of the tribes of the world and ask whether theirs are still performing their mission properly.

Steve Moniz is a retired operations research analyst, which means he makes models. Formal models can range in scope from back-of-the-envelope scribblings to complex simulations. He has worked on the biggest computer simulations the US Army owns. He received the Wilbur Payne award, the army's highest award for operations research. He was inspired by Douglas Adams to create a model of Life, the Universe, and Everything.