Outbreak!

Hilary Evans and Robert Bartholomew have compiled and “Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior” [1]. This is quite an impressive endeavour that can be used for scholarly purposes (it is well referenced) and for fun (because people do weird things sometimes). The articles I’ve read so far have been on the skeptical side (e.g. on the mass hysterias or the Dutch tulip bubble), and so it seems that the this book avoids the dangerous pitfall of using these examples lightly to demonstrate the ‘madness of crowds’ (or people in general).

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[1] Evans, H., & Bartholomew, R. E. (2009). Outbreak!: The Encyclopedia of Extraordinary Social Behavior. Anomalist Books, LLC.