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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 568 ratings
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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.
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  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
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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 568 ratings

About the author

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Christopher Knowlton

Christopher Knowlton

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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
568 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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