Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds

By Charles MacKay,

Book cover of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds

Book description

Charles MacKay's groundbreaking examination of a staggering variety of popular delusions, crazes and mass follies is presented here in full with no abridgements.

The text concentrates on a wide variety of phenomena which had occurred over the centuries prior to this book's publication in 1841. Mackay begins by examining various…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This isn’t a London book per se, although the city features fairly regularly. Instead, it’s a hybrid examination of how a mob thinks and the ways people behave when they live cheek-by-jowl.

Mackay’s seminal work is still relevant, especially the chapters on financial manias like the Tulipomania and the South Sea Bubble; People Never Learn seems to be his main lesson.

The book is hard to describe but includes some of the weirder urban crazes. In the chapter on Popular Follies of Great Cities, for example, he discusses slang trends. Apparently, asking, ‘Has your mother sold her mangle?’ would reduce…

From Bill's list on a deeper look at London.

If you love Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds...

Ad

Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,…

Want books like Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 87 books like Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds.

Browse books like Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds

Book cover of London Labour and the London Poor
Book cover of Little Dorrit
Book cover of Diary of a Nobody

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,771

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in London, presidential biography, and murder?

London 870 books
Murder 1,080 books