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Review
‘Empires of the Monsoon is a panoramic study of the history of the Indian Ocean and the destruction of its traditional trade by colonial Europe… Its major achievement is to weave into a coherent whole the histories of a kaleidoscope of civilisations and peoples… Empires of the Monsoon reads like some mediaeval Book of Wonders, rich with exotic improbabilities… . It is all gripping stuff, dizzily ambitious in its scope and full of some of the oddest facts imaginable.’
William Dalrymple, Independent
‘Empires of the Monsoon is an example of popular history at its best… It is the story of many marvels and many great adventures.’
J.D.F. Jones, Financial Times
‘A panoramic account of the Indian Ocean and its invaders… combining scholarly zeal with a good journalist’s flair for selection and narrative. The book is full of fascinating information.’
John Grigg, Sunday Telegraph
‘Hall’s lively compendium is rich in bloodthirsty sultans, swashbuckling pirates, hypocritical imperialists and serendipitous Sinbads… He is an enthusiastic storyteller who can hold you with his glittering eye.’
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Sunday Times
‘A vast and fascinating history… I found it both absorbing and instructive.’
Robert Carver, Scotsman
Product Description
‘A triumph: a first class comprehensive narrative of the impact upon the people of the Indian Ocean of those who penetrated it. It is hard to believe that this account of a European epic has any rival.’ J.M. ROBERTS, author of the Penguin History of the World
Until Vasco da Gama discovered the sea-route to the East in 1497-9 almost nothing was known in the West of the exotic cultures and wealth of the Indian Ocean and its peoples. It is this civilisation and its destruction at the hands of the West that Richard Hall recreates in this book. Hall’s history of the exploration and exploitation – by Chinese and Arab travellers, and by the Portuguese, Dutch and British alike – is one of brutality, betrayal and colonial ambition. It is history told with the true gift of a storyteller and a keen eye for the exotic. It is a compelling and instructive epic.
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Customer Reviews
Full of fascinating accounts ( E.g. The Chinese ventures to East Africa in the fifteenth century, The fabled Christian kingdom of Preston John and its reality in Ethiopia, the landing of Vasco Da Gama at Calicut in West India and his meeting with the Hindu Zamorin ), this book is mostly about the Christian ( and other ) invaders of the Indian Ocean. I read this 500 page book in under a week and found it to be highly rewarding.
This book is highly recommended and gets a 12/10
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