Great Bubbles

Periods of euphoria followed by sudden crashes are a familiar phenomenon in economics. Such events have become known as "bubbles". A bubble may be defined loosely as a sharp rise in price of an asset or a range of assets in a continuous process, with the initial rise generating expectations of further rises and attracting new buyers. The rise is then followed by a reversal of expectations and a sharp decline in price, often resulting in severe financial crisis - in short, the bubble bursts. These volumes bring together writings on such phenomena - with works centering upon some of the more colourful examples. They concentrate on the impact and legacy of three of the most prominent bubbles - the Tulip Mania of 1636, the Mississippi Bubble of 1720 and the South Sea Bubble of the same period.

“'This three-volume work provides an excellent compilation of original and analytical material on three classic examples of bubbles. For those wishing to explore the original documents on bubbles, these volumes provide an excellent entree to the literature available in the English language.'”

- Phillip Caruso and Virginia Paganelli Caruso, Business Economics '... the collection of essays and primary sources edited by Emmett is particularly helpful for those seeking to move beyond the platitudes of the business pages and investigate this topic in a more scholarly manner... the best coverage is given to the South Sea Bubble, and documents include detailed economic analyses, satirical observations such as Defoe's The anatomy of exchange alley, poetical lamentations from Pope and Swift, and moralizing condemnations from Trenchard and Gordon.' - Maxine Berg and Scott Breuninger, Economic History Review 'The editor of these volumes, Ross Emmett, furnishes a general introduction to this collection of contemporary writings and modern scholarship, prefacing each selection with historiographical notes and contextual observations... Emmett has brought together a wide variety of writings... a more modestly endowed college library may well find these volumes worth acquiring.' - Jan de Vries, The Journal of Economic History

Ross B Emmett is Chair of Economics and Associate Professor of Economics at Augustana University College, Camrose, Alberta, Canada

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