
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Complete Edition: Volume 1-3) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Financial Bubbles, Mass Hysteria, and the Psychology of CrowdsBy Charles MackayLength33h 9m
About this audiobook
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is a sweeping study of collective irrationality, tracing episodes such as the Mississippi Scheme, the South Sea Bubble, Tulipomania, alchemical obsessions, witch persecutions, crusading fervor, and other social manias. Written in vigorous nineteenth-century prose, Mackay blends anecdote, moral reflection, and historical narrative, situating the work within Victorian popular history while anticipating modern studies of behavioral economics, mass psychology, and financial speculation. Charles Mackay, a Scottish poet, journalist, and editor, brought to the subject the instincts of a seasoned observer of public life and popular opinion. Born in 1814 and active in the expanding print culture of Victorian Britain, he was attuned to the power of newspapers, rumor, fashion, and political enthusiasm. His journalistic career helped shape a work concerned less with abstract theory than with the recurring patterns by which societies surrender judgment to contagion. This complete three-volume edition is recommended for readers interested in history, finance, psychology, and the literature of social criticism. Though some details reflect the assumptions of its age, the book remains remarkably suggestive: a cautionary chronicle of credulity, greed, fear, and hope, and an enduring reminder that crowds can be brilliant, brutal, visionary, and catastrophically mistaken.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenrePsychology
Length33 hrs 9 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 27, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Complete Edition: Volume 1-3) (Annotated)
19Volume 2: Peculiar Follies
2Introduction
20The Crusades (pt. 1)
3Historical Context
21The Crusades (pt. 2)
4Synopsis (Selection)
22The Witch Mania (pt. 1)
5Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds (Complete Edition: Volume 1-3)
23The Witch Mania (pt. 2)
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6Volume 1: National Delusions
24The Slow Poisoners
7The Mississippi Scheme
25Haunted Houses
8The South Sea Bubble
26Volume 3: Philosophical Delusions
9The Tulipomania
27The Alchemysts (pt. 1)
10Relics
28The Alchemysts (pt. 2)
11Modern Prophecies
29The Alchemysts (pt. 3)
12Popular Admiration for Great Thieves
30Fortune Telling
13Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard
31The Magnetisers (pt. 1)
14Duels and Ordeals
32The Magnetisers (pt. 2)
15The Love of the Marvellous and the Disbelief of the True
33Analysis
16Popular Follies in Great Cities
34Reflection
17Old Price Riots
35Memorable Quotes
18The Thugs, or Phansigars