Charles Mackay

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions, Volume 1 Charles Mackay

Charles Mackay (1814-1889) was a British poet, journalist, and song writer. He was born in Perth, Scotland and educated at the Royal Caledonian Asylum, London, and at Brussels, but spent much of his early life in France. Coming to London in 1834, he engaged in journalism, working for The Morning Chronical from 1835-1844 and then became editor of The Glasgow Argus. He moved to The Illustrated London News in 1848 becoming editor in 1852. He published Songs and Poems (1834), wrote a History of London, and a romance, Longbeard. He is also remembered for his Dictionary of Lowland Scotch. His fame, however, chiefly rests upon his songs, some of which, including Cheer, Boys, Cheer, were in 1846 set to music by Henry Russell, and had an astonishing popularity. Mackay acted as Times correspondent during the American Civil War and in that capacity discovered and disclosed the Fenian conspiracy. His book Extraordinary Popular Delusions (1841) is a popular history of popular folly. The book chronicles and vilifies its targets in three parts: "National Delusions", "Peculiar Follies", and "Philosophical Delusions".