Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions is an early study of crowd psychology by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay. The book chronicles its subjects in three parts: ‘National Delusions’, ‘Peculiar Follies’, and ‘Philosophical Delusions’. Mac Kay was an accomplished teller of stories, though he wrote in a journalistic and somewhat sensational style. The subjects of Mackay’s debunking include 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, magnetisers (influence of imagination in curing disease), murder through poisoning, prophecies, popular admiration of great thieves, popular follies of great cities, and relics. Present-day writers on economics, such as Michael Lewis and Andrew Tobias, laud the three chapters on economic bubbles. Scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan mentioned the book in his own discussion about pseudoscience, popular delusions, and hoaxes. In later editions, Mackay added a footnote referencing the Railway Mania of the 1840s as another ‘popular delusion’ which was at least as important as the South Sea Bubble. Mathematician Andrew Odlyzko has pointed out, in a published lecture, that Mackay himself played a role in this economic bubble; as leader writer in the Glasgow Argus, Mackay wrote on 2 October 1845: ‘There is no reason whatever to fear a crash’.
About the author
As part of our mission to publish great works of literary fiction and nonfiction, Sheba Blake Publishing has begun its publishing empire with some of the most popular and beloved classic e Books and Paperbacks. We are extremely dedicated to bringing to the forefront the amazing works of long dead and truly talented authors. Sheba Blake Publishing has created its collection of numerous classic e Books and Paperbacks, specifically dedicated to bringing back in e Book and Paperback form works of worthy authors. Included in our current and forthcoming list of some 450 titles includes A Christmas Carol, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, A Martian Odyssey, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Cinderella and the list continues. The process to convert and distribute our e Book and Paperback titles can be quite time consuming, but the work is beyond worth the effort, with us having some of the most colorful and delightful covers you have seen in a while. We also hope to eventually add print books to our beautiful catalogue. Our works are made available to the reading public in the form of e Books compatible with all currently available e Book platforms, distributed both directly from Sheba Blake Publishing’s website and through various e Book resellers including i Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and many more. Sheba Blake Publishing is like our second child, it’s very dear to us and we want more than anything to see it succeed and send it off into the world like the proud mama’s we are! Sheba Blake Publishing is slowly becoming a beautiful reality to all readers. We greatly appreciate ANY and ALL support that has been given to us, and we love all of those dreaming readers who continue to purchase our titles and help us grow.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
5,248 Ebooks in this category
