Tulips

Who knew tulips could be so contentious?!

Mike Dash's Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions it Aroused explores the evolution of what appears to be the most interesting flower in history.

First and foremost, Dash's work on the Ottomans leaves much to be desired. I don't know if anyone else read it the same way, but I interpreted his treatment to be along the lines of see? even these conquering, bloodthirsty conquerors became enamored with tulips! Is that not quaint? For instance, Dash wrote, "Europeans who traveled to Istanbul ... were generally surprised not merely by the city's size and opulence but by its masters' manners and good taste," (17). Dash, it would seem, shared in that sentiment; or, at the very least, utilizes the cruel yet flower loving Ottomans to lend the plant a sort of mysticism. In part I think he is attempting to argue that tulips moved west as a result of European views, but, again, it would appear that he shares in some of them. All in all, Dash certainly takes an uncritical approach to his work; and that, I think, creates issues most of you have picked up on in other areas.

As far as this work fitting into our broader discussions on commodities, I tend to agree with Susan's summation. Dash certainly proves that tulips not only traveled great distances, but also transcended what he claims to be wildly different cultures. That alone, I should think, proves that tulips came to possess a social life; in that the people growing, trading, and buying them ascribed certain values to them that changed over time. Whether tulips only existed as a 'fad' or within a specific caste is of no consequence. Tulips had demand and they had cultural significance - the latter points proving to be evidence of that. I found numerous correlations, in that regard, with Kris Lane's work on emeralds. Both tulips and emeralds found niche markets and were really only open to (available to) and desired by select groups. Further, I would question the existence of a standard in any of the products we have viewed. Off the top of my head I can think hierarchies existing for all of our subjects.

Overall, I found this work to be an easy and interesting read; but I also found it unbelievably frustrating. There was too much left untouched and I just couldn't get over the Ottoman issues.