Skip to content
Andrew Tobias
Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

  • Home
  • Books
  • Videos
  • Bio
  • Archives
  • Links
  • Me-Mail
Andrew Tobias
Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

Extraordinary Popular Delusions, Part II

October 21, 1999February 13, 2017

Voila! Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, by Charles Mackay.

The truth is, having been written in 1841, and in England, it does not read like John Kenneth Galbraith. Apart from the odd spellings, there are loads of references I do not get — any more than a reader would have heard of Jerry Springer 160 years from now. Or Pokemon.

But the preface is quite short, and there is no harm in skipping straight through to the tulips.

Indeed, that’s what I’d suggest. Take a minute or two to read the preface, to meet Mackay, then jump to the tulips. Once you’re hooked, read the other two — the Mississippi Scheme and the South-Sea Bubble.

Missing from all this (97 pages in book form) are the final 627 pages. You would think they would be wonderful — how could tales of alchemists and necromancers not be wonderful? — but really they are more like lists of alchemists and necromancers. Trust me. Especially as regards money and economics, the sections I’ve posted are the ones you want to read. (For the complete book, also free, see Project Gutenberg.)

Post navigation

← Are Internet Stocks Today’s Tulips?
Dow 36,000? →

Quote of the Day

"If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse."

Naomi, age 15

Subscribe

 Advice

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need

"So full of tips and angles that only a booby or a billionaire could not benefit." -- The New York Times

Help

MYM Emergency?

Too Much Junk?

Tax Questions?

Ask Less

Recent Posts

  • Putting Women Back Where They Belong; Voting At 16

    July 18, 2025
  • What The CIA Has Concluded

    July 16, 2025
  • "Inigo Montoya" On Netanyahu

    July 16, 2025
  • Carl's View

    July 15, 2025
  • Jesus! A (Surprisingly) Revealing Conversation With DNC Chair Ken Martin

    July 14, 2025
  • Two Things You Can Never Be

    July 11, 2025
  • Anyone? Anyone?

    July 11, 2025
  • "PAPERS PLEASE" -- Trump's Very Own Gigantic Police Force

    July 9, 2025
  • 5 Links And A Joke Walk Into A Bar

    July 8, 2025
  • There WAS No Cherry Tree

    July 7, 2025
Andrew Tobias Books
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
©2025 Andrew Tobias - All Rights Reserved | Website: Whirled Pixels | Author Photo: Tony Adams