Particularly when it comes to foibles and follies, human beings seem destined to repeat their mistakes. History is filled with hundreds of examples of mass mania and delusion, from haunted house scares and preposterous prophecies to the frightening excesses of witch hunts and the Crusades. This 19th-century treatise documents a number of classic scams and investment schemes gone awry, including: * The Mississippi Scheme, a speculation scheme that swept 18th-century France * The South Sea Bubble, an investment plan that bankrupted thousands of people in England * Tulipmania, the Dutch flower frenzy that redefined European garden styles while making and breaking huge fortunes. Also chronicled are such fads and delusions as Alchemy, necromancy, Mesmerism, and trafficking in holy relics, as well as the cult of personality that glorified many common thieves, including Robin Hood, Claude Duval, Dick Turpin, and Jack Sheppard. This volume includes facsimile title pages & b&w illustrations fro