Tulipomania
Author(s): Mike Dash
'A fascinating exploration of human greed and self-delusion and also a tribute to our ageless search for beauty' DEBORAH MOGGACH.
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.
1999, First edition. A fine, unmarked copy in a near fine, unclipped d/w with light sunfading of the spine.
Product Information
General Fields
- :
- : Orion Publishing Group, Limited
- : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- : 0.463571
- : 30 November 1998
- : 3.5 Centimeters X 14.2 Centimeters X 19.5 Centimeters
- : books
Special Fields
- : 309
- : very good
- : 949.2/03
- : Hardback with dustjacket
- : Mike Dash