Books by Mackay, Charles

Level C1 · pages · English

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 1

Written by Mackay, Charles

"Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 1" by Charles Mackay is a study of crowd psychology first published in 1841. This journalistic exploration examines how entire societies fall prey to irrational beliefs and financial manias. Mackay investigates economic bubbles like the South Sea Company and Dutch tulip mania, alongside witch trials, alchemy, the Crusades, and countless other collective obsessions. Through colorful anecdotes and debunking analysis, he reveals how crowds abandon reason and embrace delusion, offering timeless lessons about human behavior that continue influencing financial thinkers today.

EPUB · Layout not assessedPDF · Fixed page layoutIllustrations: not assessed

No ratings yet

Categories: Economics History - European History - Modern (1750+)

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 14+ (AI estimate)

Explore book

Level C1 · pages · English

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 2

Written by Mackay, Charles

"Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 2" by Charles Mackay is a study of crowd psychology first published in 1841. This volume examines humanity's most fervent collective manias, from the religious fervor of the Crusades to the deadly witch trials that swept through Europe. Mackay chronicles how thousands fell victim to mass hysteria, how neighbors turned against each other with flimsy evidence, and how entire societies succumbed to irrational beliefs. Through vivid storytelling, he reveals the dangerous power of popular delusion across centuries.

EPUB · Layout not assessedPDF · Fixed page layoutIllustrations: not assessed

No ratings yet

Categories: History - Medieval/Middle Ages History - Other History - Religious

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 14+ (AI estimate)

Explore book

Level C1 · pages · English

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 3

Written by Mackay, Charles

"Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 3" by Charles Mackay is a volume first published in 1841. This final volume explores humanity's philosophical delusions, focusing on the misguided pursuits of alchemists seeking to transform base metals into gold. Mackay examines how practitioners and their noble sponsors fell prey to elaborate deceptions and self-delusion. The volume also investigates fortune-telling and magnetisers who claimed to cure diseases through imagination, revealing the persistent human susceptibility to pseudoscientific beliefs and supernatural explanations across centuries.

EPUB · Layout not assessedPDF · Fixed page layoutIllustrations: not assessed

No ratings yet

Categories: History - Other

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 14+ (AI estimate)

Explore book

Suggested age, readers, English difficulty and US school grade are separate labels. Age groups are guidance based on source information or editorial review; unreviewed books are “Not assessed”. A US grade is assigned only with source information or a documented assessment; otherwise it is “Not assessed”. Levels use A1–C2 to indicate reading difficulty. StoryWeaver levels 1/2/3/4 use our approximate A1/A2/B1/B2 guide, labelled “estimated”; this is not an official equivalence. A book-specific assessment takes priority. Other unassessed books are labelled “Not assessed”. Source StoryWeaver levels are retained separately. Classics retain their original English.