Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History [Paperback]

 

 

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This book well exceeded my expectations. I thought I would be learning a bit about nutmeg and the islands where it grows, when in fact, I understood how colonialism and the British Empire began. Another fact suddenly hit me when reading this book: When I was a kid, I thought than marine explorers such as Magellan were setting up on their years long journey simply pushed by the desire to go where no (white) man has ever been, to discover and push themselves just like an Everest climber would do. Well, if you thought that too, think again. Most people in marine exploration were driven by trade and gain. A single cargo of spices and nutmeg brought back to London would repay the whole expedition and bring immense profits to those in charge.

Nathaniel's Nutmeg tell the story of the decades long struggle between the fledging British East Indian Company and the Dutch East Indian Company set up by merchants in the 16th and 17th centuries. I felt a bit sorry for the British who constantly suffer from lack of fire and manpower. In fact, I felt I could not give the full five stars to the book (I would easily give 4.5), because this long struggle at such a disadvantage for the British is almost unbearable, and wore me down little by little.

Fortunately, the author kept a gold nugget in store for us at the end. The sacrifice of our hero Nathaniel Courthope was not made in vain, for the Dutch eventually agreed to exchange Run, the last English Nutmeg producing Island (on paper only) for the island of Manhattan (New Amsterdam), which was to be renamed New York. If only these men knew at the time how they were changing the world!

The book is very readable and well illustrated with maps of the world, and the spices islands. I felt this was extremely helpful and left me asking for even more maps and illustrations! Alltogether, a must read!

To sum up: Extremely interesting but hard going. I thought I was going to read the story of Nathaniel but he was hardly mentioned and it was really a record of the various expeditions to, primarily, the spice islands in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. I had no idea the effect the spice race had on English and European history (not to mention that of the spice islands themselves) and the hardships that people went through are unimaginable (who'd have thought it of the Dutch!). I had to read it in stages and I got a bit lost at times with all the names and places - a summary on each chapter somewhere would have helped.

Most interesting book about Nutmeg but not very much about Nanthaniel himself. Makes good reading on a beach.

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4.0 out of 5 stars spice of life
very very interesting story, has inspired me to research and learn about the spice trade. I was given this book as a xmas present, and was pleasantly surprised. Read more

Published 3 months ago by janjo

5.0 out of 5 stars Nathaniels Nutmmeg
For me, certainly this ranks as one of the top ten books I have read. Thoroughly interesting throughout and a great read from cover to cover. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Tony Richman

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best books I ever read
This book will become a classic its simply brilliant. It traces the history of not only the spice trade but how world trade and discovery of trade routes new lands, wars,... Read more

Published 10 months ago by C. Dunning

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book, shame about the title
This book provides a fascinating and well-researched history of the spice trade in the East Indies, in particular the struggle over nutmeg and mace in the Indonesian Banda islands... Read more

Published 11 months ago by A. C. Dickens

5.0 out of 5 stars Super
Yet another little book that should be compulsery reading in the all schools. It is truly a gripping tale, and it is true! Read more

Published 12 months ago by Mw R. Moore

4.0 out of 5 stars The search for spices
The book relates the history of exploration of the East Indies based upon the economics driving the spice trade. Read more

Published on 26 Mar 2009 by Mr. James Ferguson

4.0 out of 5 stars spice of a long forgotton life
A really interesting tale, well researched, but maybe lacking a central character, since the story provides a history of 16th century travel rather than details of Nathaniel as... Read more

Published on 30 Dec 2008 by M. French

5.0 out of 5 stars What more do you want?
This was the first book of his that I read and was absorbed immediately.
I am a teacher of History and it is always great to feel like you have also re-discovered a great... Read more

Published on 2 April 2008 by A. Goodall

4.0 out of 5 stars A consolidated history of the spice trade
Giles Milton has consolidated the history of the spice trade into a readable but detailed account of the Dutch and English trading companies. Read more

Published on 29 Feb 2008 by Joshua E. Cole

3.0 out of 5 stars A difficult read
As a keen reader of historical fiction, I fear it's not that easy to make the cross-over into non-fiction historical literature and I'll admit that I did find this book a bit of a... Read more

Published on 15 Nov 2006 by DubaiReader

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