"The market never ceases to befuddle and beguile. These two venerable works are fixtures on the short lists for most valuable books on the securities markets, and investors continue to cherish them." -From the Introduction by Martin S. Fridson Managing Director, Merrill Lynch & Co. Author of Investment Illusions Exploring the sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastating impact of crowd behavior and trading trickery on the financial markets, this book brilliantly combines two all-time investment classics. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and Confusion de Confusiones take us from Tulipmania in 1634-when tulips actually traded at a higher price than gold-to the South Sea "bubble" of 1720, and beyond. Securities analyst and author Martin Fridson guides you on a quirky, entertaining, and intriguing journey back through time. Chosen by the Financial Times as Two of the Ten Best Books Ever Written on Investment Critical Praise ..."This is the most important book ever written about crowd psychology and, by extension, about financial markets. A serious student of the markets and even anyone interested in the extremes of human behavior should read this book!" -Ron Insana, CNBC "In combining 'Extraordinary' with 'Confusion,' the result is not extraordinary confusion. Instead, with clarity, the book sears into modern investor minds the dangers of following the crowd." -Greg Heberlein, The Seattle Times "You will see between its staid lines (written in ye olde English and as ponderable as Buddha's navel) that, despite what the media says, nothing really important has changed in the financial markets in centuries." -Kenneth L. Fisher, Forbes

Charles Mackay, L.L.D., was a Scottish journalist in the nineteenth century. He received an honorary law degree from Glasgow University and was a renowned poet and songwriter.

Joseph de la Vega was a businessman and poet residing in seventeenth-century Amsterdam. He lived in a community of Portuguese Jews whose ancestors had fled the Spanish Inquisition.

Martin S. Fridson is a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., and a member of Institutional Investor's All-America Research Team. He is the author of Financial Statement Analysis, Second Edition and Investment Illusions, both published by Wiley. Fridson also serves on the editorial board of Financial Analysts Journal.