Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions
  • Cited by 4
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
October 2011
Print publication year:
2011
First published in:
1852
Online ISBN:
9780511919305
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511919305
Subjects:
History of Ideas, Social and Cultural Anthropology, History, Anthropology, General, History of Ideas and Intellectual History
Series:
Cambridge Library Collection - Spiritualism and Esoteric Knowledge
Information

Book description

This book is a joy to read and remains relevant in the current era of financial boom and bust. Mackay examines animal magnetism, money-mania, tulip-mania, the history of hair and facial hair, the crusades, haunted houses, and much more. Throughout history, the most extraordinary fashions and trends have been followed unthinkingly, and occasionally this crowd fever has overtaken not only a town but a whole country; in some cases much of western Europe was engulfed simultaneously. The ability of some manias to be so far-reaching, and for common sense and intelligence to abandon such large populations seem incredible, though the book is as thought-provoking now as it was when first published in 1852. Brought to life with exquisite engravings and witty commentary, the first volume focusses on the financial bubbles in Europe and the wide-ranging consequences of fashions in hair, prophecies and alchemy.

Refine List

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

Contents

Contents

Metrics

Full text views

Total number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

Book summary page views

Total views: 0 *
Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Usage data cannot currently be displayed.