Charles MacKay's groundbreaking examination of a staggering variety of popular delusions, crazes and mass follies is presented here in full with no abridgements. The text concentrates on a wide variety of phenomena which had occurred over the centuries prior to this book's publication in 1841. Mackay begins by examining various economic bubbles, such as the infamous Tulipomania - wherein Dutch tulips rocketed in value amid claims they could be substituted for actual currency - and various follies spread by word of mouth ...
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Charles MacKay's groundbreaking examination of a staggering variety of popular delusions, crazes and mass follies is presented here in full with no abridgements. The text concentrates on a wide variety of phenomena which had occurred over the centuries prior to this book's publication in 1841. Mackay begins by examining various economic bubbles, such as the infamous Tulipomania - wherein Dutch tulips rocketed in value amid claims they could be substituted for actual currency - and various follies spread by word of mouth in urban areas. As we progress further, the scope of the book broadens into several more exotic fields of mass self-deception. Mackay turns his attention to the witch hunts of the 17th and 18th centuries, the practice of alchemy, the phenomena of haunted houses, the vast and varied practices of fortune telling and the search for the philosopher's stone, to name but a handful of subjects. Informed by personal research, and exhaustive in detail, it is with an evocative conviction that the author excoriates mankind's numerous delusions. Further examples of topics in this lengthy book include various claims concerning old relics and artefacts, often involving such items being said to possess religious significance. Mackay saves particular scorn for popular romanticism surrounding the lives of certain criminal scoundrels, whereby said wrongdoers are thought virtuous in popular society; he also notes the marked emergence of quack medicine concurrent with meaningful advances in medical science. The acceptance into society of these phenomena is considered but another facet of the human crowd's inherent madness, feeding into the central thesis of this book. Charles Mackay was a journalist used to writing for a popular audience; as such, his book is highly readable and accessible even today. Despite his dogged research and dislike of various delusions, Mackay was not himself immune to participating in them himself; he was involved in the 1840s Railway Mania, and supplemented his interest with newspaper columns in which he assured readers that there was no danger of the railway market crashing. Today, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds is distinguished as an expansive, well-researched and somewhat eccentric work of social history.
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Good. Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book.
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Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Pages and cover are intact. Used book in good and clean conditions. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks.