Kindle
$14.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$13.00
Paperback
$15.37
Buy new:
-23% $15.37
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$15.37 with 23 percent savings
List Price: $19.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 3 hrs 44 mins
In Stock
$$15.37 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.37
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$13.47
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
This item shows wear including a few wavy pages from a water spill. This item shows wear including a few wavy pages from a water spill. See less
FREE delivery Friday, May 17 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$15.37 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.37
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Christopher Knowlton
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression Paperback – January 12, 2021

by Christopher Knowlton (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 570 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.37","priceAmount":15.37,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"37","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"NeWrVn1Jpl3Y%2BGF6RbKJoz4u8543FIVlcW1T%2BCgMmY4BUUuGBAqaJavNr5pesDNIt9kx9m9fFARV4rzzF%2BxmgwW4bUA7YF28B0m6bgoI%2FSPikUR5TH%2BoJeKWsQcqBzPnxxyVx1mTlW8vPJp7I4tjOw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$13.47","priceAmount":13.47,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"47","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"NeWrVn1Jpl3Y%2BGF6RbKJoz4u8543FIVlJRK7j4LTIXXVQmPuCsjDSc6TXB5C%2FLKzJf8mK2VJd3mnHEi1EDuIJWC1yWlhNZg1TJpKqkeFNjTGRhjHgczL0xTvplqvkPrfV3dwJcALZKF4s9XQ3QwQ08rPUKgx%2FUq3djsvRV9OmRLDq6K7zKys9hjys6UdJ2V0","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Christopher Knowlton, author of Cattle Kingdom and former Fortune writer, takes an in-depth look at the spectacular Florida land boom of the 1920s and shows how it led directly to the Great Depression.

The 1920s in Florida was a time of incredible excess, immense wealth, and precipitous collapse. The decade there produced the largest human migration in American history, far exceeding the settlement of the West, as millions flocked to the grand hotels and the new cities that rose rapidly from the teeming wetlands. The boom spawned a new subdivision civilization—and the most egregious large-scale assault on the environment in the name of “progress.” Nowhere was the glitz and froth of the Roaring Twenties more excessive than in Florida. Here was Vegas before there was a Vegas: gambling was condoned and so was drinking, since prohibition was not enforced. Tycoons, crooks, and celebrities arrived en masse to promote or exploit this new and dazzling American frontier in the sunshine. Yet, the import and deep impact of these historical events have never been explored thoroughly until now.

In Bubble in the Sun Christopher Knowlton examines the grand artistic and entrepreneurial visions behind Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Miami Beach, and other storied sites, as well as the darker side of the frenzy. For while giant fortunes were being made and lost and the nightlife raged more raucously than anywhere else, the pure beauty of the Everglades suffered wanton ruination and the workers, mostly black, who built and maintained the boom, endured grievous abuses.

Knowlton breathes dynamic life into the forces that made and wrecked Florida during the decade: the real estate moguls Carl Fisher, George Merrick, and Addison Mizner, and the once-in-a-century hurricane whose aftermath triggered the stock market crash. This essential account is a revelatory—and riveting—history of an era that still affects our country today.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 12, 2021
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.1 x 8.38 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1982128380
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1982128388
  7. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression
$15.37
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean
$12.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream
$24.95
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher Knowlton is the author of Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought on the Great Depression. He is a former staff writer and London bureau chief for Fortune magazine. He also spent fifteen years in the investment business. His previous book was Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (January 12, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982128380
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982128388
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 570 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Christopher Knowlton

Christopher Knowlton

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Christopher Knowlton is the author of BUBBLE IN THE SUN: THE FLORIDA BOOM OF THE 1920s AND HOW IT BROUGHT ON THE GREAT DEPRESSION, which was the winner of the 2021 Excellence in Financial Journalism (EFJ) Best Book Award and named an EDITORS' CHOICE/STAFF PICK by the New York Times Book Review. He is a former staff writer and London bureau chief for Fortune magazine. His previous book was CATTLE KINGDOM: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE COWBOY WEST.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
570 global ratings
Extremely interesting well researched read
5 Stars
Extremely interesting well researched read
I love the history of the 20’s and live in Florida. This book is a well- researched and fun look into the real estate boom along with the socio-economic scene. The history and changing landscape of the Everglades along with the wild ways ignoring Prohibition are touched on. One of my favorite historical reads ever.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Tinka Hooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book ever, bought it 17 times
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
I’m a luxury real estate agent in Florida and resident for 22 years. I absolutely love this book. Not only did it open my eyes to the incredible history Florida has but also I finally understood the economic influences this state has had and all its influential character. It was truly eye opening and fascinating to put stories and faces to the names we as a south Floridians hear all the time like Flagler, Mizner, Stoneman Douglas etc. I loved this book so much I bought it 17 times and gave it as Xmas gifts to my team, some clients, friends and my kids. A must read for anyone interested in Florida, History, Real Estate or the US economy.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Peter N
5.0 out of 5 stars Class Distinction in Palm Beach: “the ordinary wealthy and the extremely rich”
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
Extraordinarily entertaining light reading. Particularly fun history of local sites for those living today in Palm Beach, Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Miami and Miami Beach.

A fascinating and captivating series of vignettes of the “characters” who created Florida, from a swamp, from the 1890s to the 1930s.

Starting with Henry M. Flagler, John D. Rockefeller’s business partner, and the builder of: (1) the railroad to Key West that became the spine of Eastern Florida; (2) monumental hotels in St. Augustine, Palm Beach and Key Biscayne; and (3) a Palm Beach residence for his 37-year-younger third wife, a, “marble masterpiece [that] was dubbed “the Taj Mahal of North America” by the New York Herald. It combined Greek and Roman architecture with French and Italian Renaissance motifs, and endures today as the Flagler Museum.”

Knowlton’s book brings back to life the colorful real estate characters who developed Florida’s Southeast coast, and their various friends and acquaintances. Almost all first became very wealthy and ultimately died broke. Knowlton’s portrayal of Addison Mizner, the Palm Beach architect, entertaining roaring twenties society in his Worth Avenue apartment, accompanied by his pet monkey, gives a taste of those times.

The lengthy list of familiar names during the central period, includes, among many others, Gershwin, Capone, Ruth, Weissmuller, Swanson, Kennedy, and Ponzi, and the central, lesser known entrepreneurs, drunkards and philanderers around whom this book, and Florida in the twenties, revolved: Carl Fisher, George Merrick, Paris Singer, David Paul Davis and Addison Mizner.

Knowlton also makes an interesting argument of the Florida land boom and bust of the twenties as a primary cause of the Great Depression; reprised in 2008 with the collapse of the mortgage market leading to that financial crisis.

Highest recommendation for those looking for fun, light reading.
23 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Marc and Susan Osborne
4.0 out of 5 stars Light reading about an economic meltdown
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book covers Florida's real estate bubble of the 1920s. Mr. Knowlton tries to give the book some weight by asserting that the collapse of the bubble triggered the Great Depression, but even he doesn't seem very convinced by that reasoning, and it has minimal support among economists. He also throws in some social history, acknowledging the terrible racism of the period, for instance, and referring sometimes to the impoverished people who flocked to Florida and got caught in the bust. But mostly he serves up gossipy tales of real estate magnates who drove the bubble and then lost everything in the end. If that sounds critical, it's not meant to be. You probably won't gain any profound wisdom from Mr. Knowlton's book, but it's a fun read. It will probably be especially interesting for Florida residents.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jock
5.0 out of 5 stars Florida Boom and Bust
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
You will not put this book down!
It provides the perspectives about the raw land developments providing the lot sale boom, the financing of resorts, building sporting facilities including golf, tennis, polo, fishing, and boating.
When the lot sales plummeted, each of the major developers were crushed.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cinda F.
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
What not what I expected but I did complete the book.
Helpful
 Report
Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars Important and entertaining read
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book fills in a major gap in my previous understanding of business, economic and social history in the United States. The lessons of those days are vital to understanding our current status and our future. Refreshingly, it is a very enjoyable read: The dynamics discussed are important and vividly researched. Although business/economic matters are the primary object, relevant societal issues are carefully described. The colorful players in this wild time are brought to life. Knowlton's writing is enjoyable in its own right.

This is the kind of book my Dad would have passed to me as a young man to enlighten me; I plan to give copies to my daughters!
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Robert G. Schultz
4.0 out of 5 stars Well researched history of Florida's development.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Having spent so much time visiting Florida, I enjoyed reading about the history of the people who created the building of the cities on both coasts.

Although the later chapters gave more "socialite" details than I cared for, I still recommend this book to those interested in Florida.

The financial aspects were and still are very insightful.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report