As the preface of this book says, “In reading The History of Nations, we find that, like individuals, they have their whims and their peculiarities, their seasons of excitement and recklessness, when they care not what they do. We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the fi...

You can judge this book by its title. It is a classic effort detailing the follies of mass psychology. The author is successful in showing how a crowd of rational thinking people act completely irrationally as trends become popular and people are psyched to believe that they are the gospels of truth. The real life events in this book are the basis for the study of group dynamics and psychology. It is written in great detail, so for those who love studying and learning from history, this is gr...

Hi, the book is in an average condition. It's crumbled in some places nd the cover page has chipped corners.

Thank you.

Very heavy, not for starters, only for hard core economist aor psychologist

Don't buy this one if the goal is to read the whole work. I think if you just want to read about the financial bubbles, it isn't too bad. Some printing mistakes and the like, but not too shabby.

The whole book (from which this is just an excerpt) is pretty good. Though an edition with commentary - given that Mackay is supposed to have exaggerated a little (check wiki) - would probably be better for a historical idea.