The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

"Civilisations as yet have only been created and directed by a small intellectual aristocracy, never by crowds. Crowds are only powerful for destruction. Their rule is always tantamount to a barbarian phase. A civilisation involves fixed rules, discipline, a passing from the instinctive to the rational state, forethought for the future, an elevated degree of culture — all of them conditions that crowds, left to themselves, have invariably shown themselves incapable of realising. In consequence of the purely destructive nature of their power crowds act like those microbes which hasten the dissolution of enfeebled or dead bodies. When the structure of a civilisation is rotten, it is always the masses that bring about its downfall." - Gustave Le Bon, from Introduction (5 hr 52 min)

Chapters

Preface, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind	8:32	Read by Oxenhandler
Introduction, The Era of Crowds	16:04	Read by Oxenhandler
General Characteristics of Crowds— Psychological Law of Their Mental Unity	20:25	Read by Oxenhandler
The Sentiments and Morality of Crowds	44:45	Read by Oxenhandler
The Ideas, Reasoning Power and Imagination of Crowds	20:18	Read by Oxenhandler
A Religious Shape Assumed by all the Convictions of Crowds	11:12	Read by Oxenhandler
Remote Factors of the Opinions and Beliefs of Crowds	41:15	Read by Oxenhandler
The Immediate Factors of the Opinions of Crowds	27:47	Read by Oxenhandler
The Leaders of Crowds and their Means of Persuasion	42:35	Read by Oxenhandler
Limitations of the Variability of the Beliefs and Opinions of Crowds	23:59	Read by Oxenhandler
The Classification of Crowds	7:46	Read by Oxenhandler
Crowds Termed Criminal Crowds	9:12	Read by Oxenhandler
Criminal Juries	16:00	Read by Oxenhandler
Electoral Crowds	19:22	Read by Oxenhandler
Parliamentary Assemblies	42:52	Read by Oxenhandler

Reviews

Reader has good potential, but...

(3 stars)

Praxia

He needs to slow down, and learn to read with good phrasing, rhythm, inflection and cadence. Comes across as a novice reading here. Honestly though, I feel this reader has really great potential. Keep improving.

Extraordinary book, less-than-extraordinary reader.

(4 stars)

Cliff Pinchon

The book is brilliant and depressing; the reader sounds like an executioner.

(5 stars)

Vinton Omaleki

Oxenhandler did an excellent job of reading this controversial but relevant text.

Very outdated perspective and practices, still used today🙄😬🤔