Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds"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. |
Contents
THE MISSISSIPPI SCHEME | 1 |
THE SOUTHSEA BUBBLE | 45 |
THE TULIPOMANIA | 89 |
Copyright | |
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Abbé afterwards Aislabie alarm Alley amount ANDREW TOBIAS bank Bank of England became bill billets d'état Britain brought bubble Capital carriage carrying cent chain letters coin Count d'Horn court Craggs crowd D'Argenson debt Duchess Duke Duke of Orleans Earl Earl Stanhope edict Edward Gibbon England evil Exchange Alley extravagant favour five hundred livres florins fortune France gold guilty Holland hundred thousand infatuation jobbers John Law justice Knight lady land latter Law's London Lord Marshal Villars ment merchants millions of livres nation notes ordered Orleans Palais Royal paper Paris parliament passed perits persons Petition Place Vendôme praying Prince proceeded profits proposed public credit punishment purchase refused regent rich royal ruin scheme sell sent shares silver Sir John Blunt Soissons South-Sea company South-Sea directors specie speculation Stanhope stock fell subscribed subscription thousand livres tion trade tulips Walpole whole