Project Gutenberg 2008-02-05 Public domain in the USA. 2337 Mackay, Charles 1814 1889 Mackay, Chas. (Charles) Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_Popular_Delusions_and_the_Madness_of_Crowds The Mississippi scheme -- The south-sea bubble -- The tulipomania -- The alchymists -- Modern prophecies -- Fortune-telling -- The magnetisers -- Influence of politics and religion on the hair and beard -- The crusades -- The witch mania -- The slow poisoners -- Haunted houses -- Popular follies of great cities -- Popular admiration of great thieves -- Duels and ordeals -- Relics. Jonathan Ingram, Bill Tozier, Barbara Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" by Charles Mackay is a historical account written in the mid-19th century. The book investigates various collective follies and delusions that have swept through societies across time, analyzing how social dynamics can lead to widespread irrational behavior among people. Topics like financial manias, such as the Mississippi Scheme and the South-Sea Bubble, are central to Mackay's exploration of humanity's propensity for folly. The opening of the work sets the stage for an examination of the concept of collective insanity, focusing on the life of John Law, a key figure in the Mississippi Scheme. Mackay introduces the reader to Law as both a brilliant financier and a possible conman, illustrating his rise and fall amid the frenzy and greed of the French populace. It describes Law's early life, his gambling exploits, and how he caught the attention of the Duke of Orleans, leading to his ambitious financial schemes intended to restore France's economy after years of corruption. This narrative not only foreshadows Law's eventual downfall but also reflects on the broader themes of ambition and delusion that permeate societal behaviors throughout history. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Social psychology Swindlers and swindling Impostors and imposture Alchemy Delusions Occultism -- Early works to 1900 Investments -- Psychological aspects Stock exchanges -- Psychological aspects Hallucinations and illusions Common fallacies AZ Text Witchcraft Psychology Category: History - Other Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Economics 2231630 2025-07-10T07:40:28.384602 text/html 2262255 2021-06-26T23:22:20 text/html 15810698 2025-07-10T07:41:17.916884 application/epub+zip 15784878 2025-07-10T07:40:43.128542 application/epub+zip 853092 2025-07-10T07:40:32.932611 application/epub+zip 17941934 2025-07-10T07:41:39.511763 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 17709348 2025-07-10T07:41:05.141451 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1187821 2022-09-11T10:26:25.193291 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1684940 2025-07-10T07:40:25.048678 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1684821 2021-06-26T23:22:47 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22989 2025-07-10T07:41:39.920762 application/rdf+xml 25172 2025-07-10T07:40:33.640580 image/jpeg 4688 2025-07-10T07:40:33.317586 image/jpeg 636585 2021-06-26T23:23:14 application/octet-stream application/zip 15522236 2021-06-26T23:23:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 15596274 2025-07-10T07:40:29.136605 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia