8 h 16 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your only dream is to grow a flower, but a neighbour’s envy puts your life at risk?
In the Dutch Republic, Cornelius van Baerle wants nothing more than to grow a black tulip and win the prize at Haarlem. But the country is at war, a mob turns on the De Witt brothers, and a sealed packet left by his godfather draws this gentle gardener into danger.
His neighbour Isaac Boxtel watches through a telescope, hungry for the same prize. At Loevestein prison, Cornelius meets Rosa, the harsh jailer’s clever, kind daughter. In The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet bring a political storm close to home, where a flower, a friendship and a growing love give hope something concrete to hold.
What you’ll discover
- A dream worth tending Follow a patient gardener whose love of flowers faces forces far beyond his garden.
- Envy across the fence Watch Boxtel’s jealous attention turn a shared passion into a dangerous rivalry.
- Rosa’s kindness and courage Meet a jailer’s daughter who learns to read and wants to help a prisoner.
- A country in crisis Step from the angry crowds of The Hague into the confines of a fortress prison.
- Love under hard conditions Discover a warm romance where trust grows in the shadow of suspicion.
Who will love it
For readers who love historical adventure with a warm heart, short chapters and a clear contest between kindness and envy. A love story, a jealous rival and the quest to grow a black tulip add to the appeal.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A mob murders the brothers De Witt
- A gardener cares only for tulips
- Envy next door grows into a plot
- A sealed packet puts a life at risk
- In prison, Rosa becomes his friend
- What the story says and how it is told
Who’s who
- Cornelius van BaerleA kind and wealthy tulip grower from Dordrecht who wants only to grow a black tulip and win the prize at Haarlem.
- RosaThe jailer's daughter at Loevestein, clever and kind, who learns to read and wants to help the prisoner she comes to trust.
- Isaac BoxtelVan Baerle's jealous neighbour, also a tulip grower, who longs for the prize and watches his rival with a telescope.
- GryphusThe harsh head jailer of Loevestein, who rules his prisoners with suspicion and is fiercely protective of his daughter.
- Cornelius de WittVan Baerle's godfather, a Dutch statesman who leaves a sealed packet with him before the mob comes.
- Johan de WittCornelius's brother and a former leader of the Dutch Republic, hated by the crowd that supports the Prince of Orange.
- William of OrangeThe young Prince who rises to power in the Republic as the De Witt brothers fall.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 16 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Black Tulip in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Black Tulip
by Alexandre Dumas; Auguste Maquet · 1850
A gentle gardener pursues a prize for a black tulip as a jealous neighbour puts his life at risk.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A mob murders the brothers De Witt
The story opens in The Hague in 1672. The Dutch Republic is at war, and the people blame their leaders. Johan de Witt, the former Grand Pensionary, and his brother Cornelius are the targets of that anger. The crowd supports the young Prince William of Orange, who is waiting for power.
Cornelius de Witt has been accused of plotting against the Prince and is held in prison. His brother Johan comes to visit him. Outside, the mob gathers, and Dumas shows how quickly a street can turn from talk to violence. The brothers are dragged out and killed, and this event is real history.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Black Tulip
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Black Tulip about?
It follows Cornelius van Baerle, a Dutch tulip grower in the 1670s, who is caught up in political violence after the murder of the De Witt brothers. He is jailed, while a rival and a prize for a black tulip drive the plot.
Is The Black Tulip based on a true story?
Partly. The murder of Johan and Cornelius de Witt in The Hague in 1672 is real history, and tulip growing was a Dutch passion. Van Baerle, Rosa and Boxtel are invented characters.
When was The Black Tulip written?
It was published in 1850 by Alexandre Dumas, who worked with Auguste Maquet. Dumas wrote it at the height of his career, after his well-known novels of the 1840s.
The author
Alexandre Dumas
1802–1870 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a French novelist and playwright. He was born in Villers-Cotterêts, lived in Paris, and died in Puys, near Dieppe. He wrote The Three Musketeers (1844), The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–1846), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Black Tulip (1850).
More by Alexandre Dumas; Auguste Maquet
All 18 books
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in adventure
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
