Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions it Aroused

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.