Mike Dash

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Pennsylvania

The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused

A vivid narration of the history of the tulip, from its origins on the barren, windswept steppes of central Asia to its place of honor in the lush imperial gardens of Constantinople, to its starring moment as the most coveted--and beautiful--commodity in Europe.

In the 1630s, visitors to the prosperous trading cities of the Netherlands couldn't help but notice that thousands of normally sober, hardworking Dutch citizens were caught up in an extraordinary frenzy of buying and selling. The object of this unprecedented speculation was the tulip, a delicate and exotic Eastern import that had bewitched horticulturists, noblemen, and tavern owners alike. For almost a year rare bulbs changed hands for incredible and ever-increasing sums, until single flowers were being sold for more than the cost of a house. Historians would come to call it tulipomania. It was the first futures market in history, and like so many of the ones that would follow, it crashed spectacularly, plunging speculators and investors into economic ruin and despair. This colorful cast of characters includes Turkish sultans, Yugoslav soldiers, French botanists, and Dutch tavern keepers--all centuries apart historically and worlds apart culturally, but with one thing in common: tulipomania.

Tulipomania

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In 1630s' Holland thousands of people, from the wealthiest merchants to the lowest street traders, were caught up in a frenzy of buying and selling. The object of the speculation was not oil or gold, but the tulip, a delicate and exotic bloom that had just arrived from the east. Over three years, rare tulip bulbs changed hands for sums that would have bought a house in Amsterdam: a single bulb could sell for more than £300,000 at today's prices. Fortunes were made overnight, but then lost when, within a year, the market collapsed.

Mike Dash recreates this bizarre episode in European history, separating myth from reality. He traces the hysterical boom and devastating bust, bringing to life a colourful cast of characters, and beautifully evoking Holland's Golden Age.

Category - Non Fiction / History

Format - Paperback

Condition - Excellent

Listed - A year ago

Views - 18

Wishes - 1

Ships From - Pennsylvania

Est. Publication Date - Jan 2001

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Category - Non Fiction / History

Format - Paperback

Condition - Excellent

Listed - A year ago

Views - 18

Wishes - 1

Ships From - Pennsylvania

Est. Publication Date - Jan 2001

Seller Description

Additional Information

Publisher Description

Tulipomania

By:

$3.50

Condition

Format

Meet the seller

Discover more

Tulipomania

By: Mike Dash

'Tulipomania' readers also enjoyed:

Additional titles by Mike Dash

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