The Invasion from Mars

by Hadley Cantril

Hadley Cantril's study was launched immediately after the broadcast to give an account of people's reactions and an answer to the question, Why the panic? Originally published by Princeton University Press in 1940, the book explores the latent anxieties that lead to mass hysteria.

Originally published in 1982.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, History

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Albert Hadley Cantril, Jr. was an American psychologist from the Princeton University, who expanded the scope of the field.

Reviews

[Carrie Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. Amazed someone was able to pull this all together so soon after the events. Highly recommend.

[hiba ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for my project and I love my degree. I love that it just reinforces everything that I hate about media. Anyways, we’re so desperate for books to add to my reading challenge that we are adding course material… look away.

[Jason Shaffner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In our modern era of fake news, this book provides a compelling reminder that this problem is not really new: many of the same factors that led listeners to believe martians were attacking us in 1938 ring true in 2017. "What is most inconceivable and therefore especially interesting psychologically is why so many people did not do something to verify the information they were receiving from their loudspeakers."

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Statistical and historical insight into the war of the worlds broadcast. Great use for my Senior Thesis.

[Wil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more analytical that I usually like to read, what's fascinating is the "of the moment" interviews with people who panicked. That part gets the four star treatment.