Tulipomania

by Mike Dash (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1999

  $3.42

  This is the story of the first great stock market boom in history. In 1630s Holland there was a frenzy over an exotic bloom newly imported from the East: the tulip. Over three years, rare tulip bulbs changed hands for sums that would have bought a house in Amsterdam: a single bulb sold for more than #300,000 at today's prices. Finally, there was a horrendous crash and prices collapsed overnight, ruining thousands. A historian with a special interest in mass hysteria, Mike Dash recreates the Holland of the 17th century and follows a couple of families who were deeply involved in the mania.

• Used

  Paperback
  2000

  $3.42

  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 GBP300,000 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.