SpeedRacer 1 #1 July 20, 2007 I recently finished reading this great book called Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay. It was first published in 1841. It talks about all the times that large numbers of people went crazy about some trend or other. The first few chapters are about economic bubbles. The stock market booms that happened in the early 1700s and "tulipomania" which happened in Holland in the 1690s. Then in other chapters it goes on to discuss things like the Crusades (very in depth analysis) and witch hunts, haunted houses, superstition, fortune tellers (ie, people who predicted the end of the world), alchemy, duelling, etc. Pretty much every area where large portions of the population went crazy for something. This is a very important book and is often recommended reading by financial experts. quotes by Charles Mackay: Quote"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one!" "Of all the offspring of Time, Error is the most ancient, and is so old and familiar an acquaintance, that Truth, when discovered, comes upon most of us like an intruder, and meets the intruder's welcome." Anyway, put it on your reading list. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
