| Author |
Mackay, Charles, 1814-1889 |
| Title |
Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 3
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 63.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
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| Note |
Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_Popular_Delusions_and_the_Madness_of_Crowds
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| Credits |
Produced by An Anonymous Project Gutenberg Volunteer and David Widger
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| Summary |
"Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 3" by Charles Mackay is a historical account written during the mid-19th century. The book delves into the bizarre and often absurd beliefs and irrationalities that have captivated humanity throughout history, particularly focusing on the delusions associated with alchemy, fortune-telling, and other esoteric practices. The opening of this volume introduces the concept of discontent as a driving force behind the flawed pursuits of people seeking remedies for life's certainties, such as death and ignorance of the future. Mackay sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of historical figures and their pursuits of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. The narrative begins by listing various alchemists and their misguided beliefs, accompanied by tales of their relentless quests and the societal implications of their pursuits. Through these accounts, Mackay emphasizes that the folly of past generations should serve as an enlightening lesson for the present, revealing the strange and often humorous fabrications of the human mind in its search for meaning and fulfillment. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
AZ: General Works: History of scholarship and learning, The humanities
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| Subject |
Social psychology
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| Subject |
Swindlers and swindling
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| Subject |
Impostors and imposture
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| Subject |
Alchemy
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| Subject |
Delusions
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| Subject |
Occultism -- Early works to 1900
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| Subject |
Investments -- Psychological aspects
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| Subject |
Stock exchanges -- Psychological aspects
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| Subject |
Hallucinations and illusions
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| Subject |
Common fallacies
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
884 |
| Release Date |
Apr 1, 1997 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Feb 5, 2013 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
125 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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