An insightful look at how to succeed by going against the crowd Collectively, people think and act in ways that are different from how they think and act as individuals. Understanding these differences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverick observer of the financial world and the vagaries of the investing public-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity. From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war on terror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people have always been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-often with devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in an improbable array of instances throughout history and reveal why swimming against the current pays. Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you to question what this means for your financial well-being Explains why people so often abandon good sense and good behavior to "e;follow the crowd"e; Offers concrete advice on how you can avoid the "e;public spectacle"e; of modern finance The authors' cautionary tale of bubble economies reveals how the gush of credit let loose by Alan Greenspan has wreaked havoc on our lives-but their thoughtful and always entertaining approach also offers some sound investing principles for avoiding the pitfalls of the public spectacle, thinking for yourself, and protecting your money, your sanity, and your soul.

An insightful look at how to succeed by going against thecrowdCollectively, people think and act in ways that are differentfrom how they think and act as individuals. Understanding thesedifferences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverickobserver of the financial world and the vagaries of the investingpublic-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity.From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war onterror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people havealways been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-oftenwith devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and MarketsBonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in animprobable array of instances throughout history and reveal whyswimming against the current pays.* Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you toquestion what this means for your financial well-being* Explains why people so often abandon good sense and goodbehavior to "follow the crowd"* Offers concrete advice on how you can avoid the "publicspectacle" of modern financeThe authors' cautionary tale of bubble economies reveals how thegush of credit let loose by Alan Greenspan has wreaked havoc on ourlives-but their thoughtful and always entertaining approach alsooffers some sound investing principles for avoiding the pitfalls ofthe public spectacle, thinking for yourself, and protecting yourmoney, your sanity, and your soul.

Part One: A Critique of Impure Reason.Chapter 1. Do-Gooders Gone Bad.Chapter 2. Love in the Time of Viagra.Chapter 3. The Transit of Venus.Part Two: Witch Hunts and War Drums.Chapter 4. The Devil Made Them Do It.Chapter 5. Words of War.Part Three: Militant Messiahs.Chapter 6. War and Remembrance.Chapter 7. Empire of Delusion.Chapter 8. Heroes of the Revolution.Part Four: Flattening the Globe.Chapter 9. The Number Game.Chapter 10. The Flat Earth Society.Chapter 11. What the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo Didn't Know.Part Five: The Bubble Kings.Chapter 12. Fin de Bubble.Chapter 13. The Million-Dollar Trailer.Chapter 14. Central Bank Bamboozle.Chapter 15. The Mother of the Mother of All Bubbles.Part Six: Far From the Madding Mob.Chapter 16. How Not to Be Chumped by Wall Street.Chapter 17. The Dupe of Hearts.Notes.Index.