This chronicle of the yearlong tulip frenzy that overwhelmed Holland in the early 17th century explores one of history`s most astonishing events, when the value of tulip bulbs increased to astronomical heights and then, nearly as rapidly, fell, leading to a crash in which thousands of speculators faced financial ruin. Dash`s book takes a penetrating look at Dutch society during that crazed year, when a single tulip bulb was equal in price to four oxen, an oak bed, or a small ship. It also provides a fascinating history of the tulip before and after its period of disastrous popularity.