Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds: Volume 1-3

Exploring human susceptibility to fads, hysteria, scams, crazes and schemes through the centuries, this is a fascinating and enjoyable romp through history, covering such diverse events as the Crusades, the Witch hunt mania of the 16th and 17th centuries, through to the South Sea Bubble and Tulip Fever of the 18th century. Entertaining and informative, this study of human folly continues to powerfully resonate in our modern age.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is a study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay.

The subjects of Mackay's debunking include:

• Witchcraft, alchemy, crusades, duels, economic bubbles
• Fortune-telling, haunted houses, the Drummer of Tedworth
• The influence of politics and religion on the shapes of beards and hair
• Magnetizers (influence of imagination in curing disease), murder through poisoning
• Prophecies, popular admiration of great thieves
• Popular follies of great cities, and relics

This fascinating exploration dives into the irrational behaviours and beliefs that have captivated societies throughout history.

Volume 1: National Delusions: • The Mississippi Scheme • The South Sea Bubble • The Tulipomania • Relics • Modern Prophecies • Popular Admiration for Great Thieves • Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard • Duels and Ordeals • The Love of the Marvellous and the Disbelief of the True • Popular Follies in Great Cities • Old Price Riots • The Thugs, or Phansigars •

Volume 2: Peculiar Follies: • The Crusades • The Witch Mania • The Slow Poisoners • Haunted Houses •

Volume 3: Philosophical Delusions : • The Alchemists • Fortune Telling • The Magnetisers