I thought this book was a good addition to "Tulip Fever" by Deborah Moggach that I read with my book club.
It was very interesting. I'm not a gardener myself and I wouldn't even say tulips are my favourite flowers but I really thought this was so interesting.
The author tells the tale of this flower that is known to us as "THE" Dutch flower today but has a long history and a long way to get here. It was brought to Europe via Turkey from a lot further East, its exact origin is still not known. We follow the way throughout the ages, especially the tulip mania of the 17th century when incredibly unusual flowers would bring in a lot of money. The writing is accompanied by beautiful illustrations which makes the book even more special.
Here is the book's description:
"'The Tulip' is not a gardening book. It is the story of a flower that has made men mad. Greed, desire, anguish and devotion have all played their part in the development of the tulip into the world-wide phenomenon it is today. No other flower has ever carried so much cultural baggage; it charts political upheavals, illuminates social behaviour, mirrors economic booms and busts, plots the ebb and flow of religious persecution. Pavord tells how the tulip arrived from Turkey and took the whole of Western Europe by storm. Sumptuously illustrated from a wide range of sources, this beautifully produced and irresistible volume will become a bible, a unique source book, a universal gift book and a joy to all who possess it."
Another interesting book on this subject:
"Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused" by Mike Dash
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2022.
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