Tulipomania

In 1630s Holland people were caught up in a frenzy of buying and selling the tulip, an exotic bloom newly arrived from the east. Mike Dash recreates this 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 evoking Holland's golden age.

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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.