Tulipmania: Money, Honor, and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age Illustrated Edition

by Anne Goldgar (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0226301266

ISBN-10: 0226301265

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In the 1630s the Netherlands was gripped by tulipmania: a speculative fever unprecedented in scale and, as popular history would have it, folly. We all know the outline of the story—how otherwise sensible merchants, nobles, and artisans spent all they had (and much that they didn’t) on tulip bulbs. We have heard how these bulbs changed hands hundreds of times in a single day, and how some bulbs, sold and resold for thousands of guilders, never even existed. Tulipmania is seen as an example of the gullibility of crowds and the dangers of financial speculation.

But it wasn’t like that. As Anne Goldgar reveals in Tulipmania, not one of these stories is true. Making use of extensive archival research, she lays waste to the legends, revealing that while the 1630s did see a speculative bubble in tulip prices, neither the height of the bubble nor its bursting were anywhere near as dramatic as we tend to think. By clearing away the accumulated myths, Goldgar is able to show us instead the far more interesting reality: the ways in which tulipmania reflected deep anxieties about the transformation of Dutch society in the Golden Age.

“Goldgar tells us at the start of her excellent debunking book: ‘Most of what we have heard of [tulipmania] is not true.’. . . She tells a new story.”—Simon Kuper, Financial Times

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Tulipmania is in every way a model of historical scholarship, an exemplary piece of historical craftsmanship. Every page is rife with rich human detail, and Goldgar’s lively and elegant style carries the reader, enthusiasm and curiosity undimmed, to the stimulating conclusion. Above all, this is revisionist history of the best kind.”

-- Anthony Grafton, Princeton University

"This is wonderful book, beautifully written and sustained by archival scholarship of the highest order. Its devastating and original demolition of the myth of Tulip mania, the fineness of historical judgment and the painstaking reconstructions so effortlessly conveyed on the page make it a pleasure to read."

-- John Brewer, author of A Sentimental Murder: Love and Madness in the Eighteenth Century

“Anne Goldgar’s scholarly sleuthing gives a whole new look to the 1630s tulipmania in the Netherlands.The bulb buyers and sellers were good middle-class merchants, not so far removed from knowledgeable connoisseurs and art-lovers. The crash in prices undermined not the economy, but people's confidence in honor and good judgment. Delightfully written, Tulipmania turns the exaggerations of a media event into an exploration of early modern values and anxieties.”

-- Natalie Zemon Davis

"A standard reference for all historians whenever they deal with this episode in Dutch financial history."

-- Larry Neal ― EH.Net

"What Anne Goldgar does in her provocative and lively new book is convincingly cast all of these existing narratives into questions. Drawing on extensive research in a wide range of archives . . . she shows that the tulip boom, far from representing a case of mass irrationality, was actually the product of intellectual, familial, and commercial networks among a relatively small and prosperous subset of Dutch burghers. . . . [The book] serves not only to rewrite a fascinating historical event, but to shed considerable light on the history or early modern commerce and culture more generally."

-- Alix Cooper ― Renaissance Quarterly

"A brilliant young spoilsport of a historian . . . decided to examine the evidence rather than buy the legend. . . . This book is a gem. Elegantly and lucidly written, it debunks the myth of tulipmania once and for all."

-- Richard Mawrey ― Historic Gardens Review

"In my view it is a wonderful and delightfully written book offering a totally new slant on the tulipmania in the Netherlands in the 1630s, when the bottom dropped out of the tulip bulb market in just a few days’ time."

-- M.M.G. Fase ― De Economist Published On: 2008-02-12

"A meticulously researched study of the phenomenon that challenges all of the previously held ideas about the extent of this bubble. There can be no doubt that this well-written and engaging book will become the standard reference on the topic for years to come."

-- Donald J. Harreld ― H-Net Reviews

"Goldgar's book establishes a new benchmark--the first since 1637--for interpretations of the tulip mania. It largely fulfills its ambitious interdisciplinary agenda, bringing to life the world of the seventeenth-century floristes."

-- Jan de Vries ― American Historical Review

"As Anne Goldgar gently informs us in the beginning of her absorbing book, most of what we 'know' about tulip mania is pure fiction."

-- Ingrid D. Rowland ― New Republic

About the Author

Anne Goldgar is reader in early modern history at King’s College, London. She is the author of Impolite Learning: Conduct and Community in the Republic of Letters, 1680–1750.

Product details

Publisher : University of Chicago Press; Illustrated edition (September 15, 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 446 pages
ISBN-10 : 0226301265
ISBN-13 : 978-0226301266
Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #292,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #35 in Bulb Flower Gardening
- #57 in Dutch History
- #446 in European History (Books)

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20 ratings

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Meandering but informative

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2017

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This is, essentially, an extended argument that the tulip bubble was overblown; and more of a rhetorical device than an actual crisis. The argument is persuasive, but also could have used a stronger editorial hand: this is, itself, a long pamphlet, not a book. Still, an interesting read in a time of new bubbles (and moral judgements).

5 people found this helpful

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H. Hai

this book can be tedious. The few paragraphs in wikipedia on tulipmania pretty ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

If you're in a hurry, this book can be tedious. The few paragraphs in wikipedia on tulipmania pretty much sum up the whole argument of the book. However, if you just want to learn more about the life and people, especially the merchant class in early and mid 17th century Netherlands, this could be a fascinating read.

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it has a lot of probably unnecessary details but i'm learning a lot about Dutch history/language/culture ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

True, it has a lot of probably unnecessary details but i'm learning a lot about Dutch history/language/culture from these details. Whenever the author tries to philosophize, i kind of cringe and skip it - it's pretty arbitrary. You either write a history/fact book or an opinion book, ideally. But it's still good.

One person found this helpful

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Sue Burke

History with breadth and depth

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020

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Carefully researched, well presented, showing the "big picture" and individual stories.

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Customer 486

History that you don't learn in government education

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2020

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Important history lesson for us all on the tulip craze.

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Kathleen Donnelly

tulip manic mania

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book reads like a college text you had to read for an exam. An interesting topic for me as I was traveling to Holland. If it were written by my favorite author of nonfiction. John McPhee, it would have been a winner. I skimmed through it and couldn't wait until I was finished. Lots of information if you are truly interested in the 17th century tulip trade and not a dilettante like me. The mania for bulbs is often likened to our stock market crashes and internet crazes. The epilogue called "Cabbage Fever " is most interesting so I will give this tome 3 stars.

3 people found this helpful

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Beloved Charles

MUST READ!

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2007

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Many people talk about bubbles. Few will spend time to look into details. This book alone digs in depth.

3 people found this helpful

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William N. Ostrove

Good, but could have been better

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2008

After reading Tulipmania, I feel that the book could have been better than it was. Goldgar claims that she used firsthand sources that no one else has used to study the topic of Tulipmania before, allowing her to draw conclusions that no one has previously done. Essentially, Goldgar questions the traditional interpretation throughout history of Tulipmania, particularly the effect that the crisis actually had on Dutch society.

Even though these new sources shed new light on the topic, I felt that the book could have been delivered in a much better way. Goldgar quickly becomes bogged down with the minutia of the tulip trade. She did talk about overall trends; however, I think the book would have been much more interesting if she didn't spend as much time writing about individual transactions or individual meetings between buyers and sellers. These are necessary to establish the validity of the argument, but I think that the book would be more enjoyable with a few less of these examples.

The book also could have been improved with some overall statistics about Dutch society at the time. For example, (without giving too much away) claims about the economic conditions in the Netherlands during the early 17th century could have been backed up with more than just assertions from the author. In addition, the book does not spend a lot of time on some key issues, particularly, why the prices suddenly collapsed. This may have been out of the scope of the book, and the author does state that the issue is extremely complex and has no easy answer. But I think it would have added to the book to spend a bit more time discussing a few of the possible reasons.

This is not to say that the book had no positives. Simply by looking at new primary sources, the author has done a great service to anyone interested in Tulipmania, the Netherlands, or early modern Europe. Goldgar uses actual records from the transactions that took place at the time, rather than the pamphlets written by third parties at the time of and shortly after the crash in tulip prices. The author put a lot of research into the book, using those records to come up with an extensive list of buyers and sellers within the tulip trade. By doing this, she develops an accurate image of who was involved in the tulip trade and how far reaching the trade was into society.

Another strong point of the book was the description of Early Modern Dutch society. An entire chapter is dedicated to art in Holland at the time and how that relates to tulips and other collectable items in Dutch society. The book also draws a number of interesting conclusions about how business was conducted in Dutch society. As the title suggests, money, honor, and knowledge were all very important themes in the Netherlands.

The last chapter and the epilogue were the most interesting parts of the book to me. It is here that the author begins to use the enormous amounts of detail to draw some conclusions about Tulipmania. She explains why Tulipmania was thought to be of such great economic performance, why she feels it was not, and why she feels that the effects of the event were distorted. The epilogue ties everything together with a discussion on values and knowledge within a society.

I recommend this book if you are interested in Tulipmania and/or the Netherlands during the early seventeenth century. However, be prepared to slog through minute details to get to the good stuff.

27 people found this helpful

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David Siegel

Mind blowing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is an important book that destroys the myth of "The tulip bubble." It's think and deep and very detailed (I couldn't keep all the Dutch names separate), and it has to be, so you understand the context. There was no Tulip bubble, but the truth is far more interesting than that! The story is deftly told by a skilled researcher and writer. I'm amazed at the effort, the depth, the pleasure in the writing. She clearly is in her element here, and her contribution is important. The world needs to understand history to get the future right. As we say, "It's a little more complicated than that." - it really is and it's a joy to learn the complications from such a skilled author. Thank you.

One person found this helpful

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