Summary

Introduction by Professor Norman Stone. This classic catalogue of some of the more outre enthusiasms - speculative, social, religious and just plain daft - serves as a salutary reminder that the follies of mankind are not unique to the modern world. Whenever struck by campaigns, fads, cults and fashions, the reader may take some comfort that Charles Mackay can demonstrate historical parallels for almost every neurosis of our times. The South Sea Bubble, Witch Mania, Alchemy, the Crusades, Fortune-telling, Haunted Houses, and even 'Tulipomania' are only some of the subjects covered in this book, which is given a contemporary perspective through Professor Norman Stone's lively new Introduction. AUTHOR: Charles Mackay (1812-1889) was a Scottish journalist, poet and author. He is remembered for his book 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds', a history of popular follies which is now valued as a history of social psychology and psychopathology.