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Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 2

"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.

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

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 14+ (AI estimate)

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Level C1

Language difficulty is an AI estimate based on sampled text.

Reader and content guidance is an AI estimate based on the title, author, source summary, contents and selected excerpts. Unseen portions have not been assessed.

Recommended age: 14+ (AI estimate)
Independent enjoyment needs maturity for abstract crowd psychology, religious history, war deaths and witch persecution; younger teens could read selected excerpts with adult explanation and historical context. Based on named-book metadata and selected excerpts; unseen text was not assessed. This is guidance, not an official age rating; individual reading ability varies.

Source: Project Gutenberg · Public domain in the USA.

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