Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or, the True and Incredible Adventure of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or, the True and Incredible Adventure of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History Book

Would you believe that nutmeg formed the basis of one of the most bitter international conflicts of the 17th century, and was also intimately connected to New York City's rise to global preeminence? Strange but true: nutmeg was, in fact, one of the most prized commodities in Renaissance Europe, and its fascinating story is told in Giles Milton's delightful Nathaniel's Nutmeg. The book deals with the competition between England and Holland for possession of the spice-producing islands of Southeast Asia throughout the 17th century. Packed with stories of heroism, ambition, ruthlessness, treachery, murder, torture, and madness, Nathaniel's Nutmeg offers a compelling story of European rivalry in the tropics, thousands of miles from home, and the mutual incomprehensibility which often comically characterized relations between the Europeans and the local inhabitants of the prized islands. At the center of the action lies Nathaniel Courthope, a trusty lieutenant of the East India Company, who took and held the tiny nutmeg-producing island of Run in the face of overwhelming Dutch opposition for more than five years, before being treacherously murdered in 1620. To avenge his death, and the loss of the island, the British took the Dutch North American colony at Manhattan. (As Milton wittily remarks, although Courthope's death "robbed England of her nutmeg, it gave her the biggest of apples"). Inevitably inviting comparisons with Dava Sobel's Longitude, Nathaniel's Nutmeg is a charming story that throws light on a neglected period of European history, and analyzes its fascination with the "spicy" East. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.ukRead More

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  • Product Description

    The tiny island of Run is an insignificant speck in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago--remote, tranquil, and now largely ignored. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, however, Run's harvest of nutmeg turned it into the most lucrative of the Spice Islands, precipitating a fierce and bloody battle between the all-powerful Dutch East India Company and a small band of ragtag British adventurers led by the intrepid Nathaniel Courthope. The outcome of the fighting was one of the most spectacular deals in history: Britain ceded Run to Holland, but in return was given another small island, Manhattan.

    A brilliant adventure story of unthinkable hardship and savagery, the navigation of uncharted waters, and the exploitation of new worlds, Nathaniel's Nutmeg is a remarkable chapter in the history of the colonial powers.

    "An exciting account of the dangerous voyages, bizarre transactions and desperate battles of the Spice Wars."--The Washington Post

    "Fascinating . . . an epic tale, told superbly . . . There is plenty of gore, chance, and piracy to the story."--The Wall Street Journal

    "A rousing historical romp. . . a tale of courage, treachery, endurance, cowardice, greed and derring-do."--The New York Times Book Review

  • 0140292608
  • 9780140292602
  • Giles Milton
  • 1 July 2000
  • Penguin Books
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 400
  • Reissue
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