Ponzi schemes, invaders from Mars & more extraordinary popular delusions, and the madness of crowds

By Charles Mackay ; With A Foreword By Andrew Tobias ; With Facsim. Title Pages And Reproductions Of Original Ill. From The Editions Of 1841 And 1852. Originally Published In 1841 Under Title: Memoirs Of Extraordinary Popular Delusions. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Foreword (xii)......Page 8 Preface (xvii)......Page 13 Preface to Edition of 1852 (xix)......Page 15 Contents (xxi)......Page 17 List of Illustrations (xxv)......Page 21 The Mississippi Scheme (1)......Page 22 The South-Sea Bubble (46)......Page 68 The Tulipomania (89)......Page 112 The Alchymists (98)......Page 121 Modern Prophecies (257)......Page 282 Fortune-Telling (281)......Page 307 The Magnetisers (304)......Page 331 Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard (346)......Page 373 The Crusades (354)......Page 381 The Witch Mania (462)......Page 491 The Slow Poisoners (565)......Page 595 Haunted Houses (593)......Page 624 Popular Follies of Great Cities (619)......Page 650 Popular Admiration of Great Thieves (632)......Page 663 Duels and Ordeals (647)......Page 678 Relics (695)......Page 727 Index (705)......Page 736 "Every age has its peculiar folly; some scheme, project, or phantasy into which it plunges, spurred on by the love of gain, the necessity of excitement, or the mere force of imitation," said author Charles Mackay. It was true then in 1841, and it is certainly true now. This informative, funny collection of popular delusions, from Alchemy to Mesmerism, has become a classic--a study of mass manias, crowd behavior, and human folly. The book encompasses a broad range of scams, manias, and deceptions including witch burning and the Great Crusades. Here are the human quirks that created the Mississippi Bubble and Tulipomania--when speculators lost fortunes on a single tulip bulb. Here are the follies and fads that dictated fashion through the ages "This informative, funny collection of popular delusions, from Alchemy to Mesmerism, has become a classic--a study of mass manias, crowd behavior, and human folly. The book encompasses a broad range of scams, manias, and deceptions including witch burnings and the Great Crusades. Here are the human quirks that created the Mississippi Bubble and Tulipomania--when speculators lost fortunes on a single tulip bulb. Here are the follies and fads that dictated fashion through the ages. Here is a book that affords fascinating and entertaining insight into how sensible, intelligent people may be transformed into mayhem-making mobs."--Adapted from back cover