History brought to life through a fascinating tale of adventure, survival, determination and pure grit, for the acquiring of spices, which could be engendering great wealth, was fraught with danger.  Pirates, war, treachery, disease, murder and heroism are all here in a thrilling read, much of it taken from original documents.  Highly recommended.

Synopsis

In 1616, an English adventurer, Nathaniel Courthope, stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret mission - to persuade the islanders of Run to grant a monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice in Europe. This infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to control the world’s nutmeg supply. For five years Courthope and his band of thirty men were besieged by a force one hundred times greater - and his heroism set in motion the events that led to the founding of the greatest city on earth. A beautifully told adventure story and a fascinating depiction of exploration in the seventeenth century, NATHANIEL’S NUTMEG sheds a remarkable light on history.

Reviews

'Beautifully touching...To write a book that makes the reader, after finishing it, sit in a trance, lost in his passionate desire to pack a suitcase and go, somehow, to the fabulous place - that, in the end, is something one would give a sack of nutmeg for' - Philip Hensher, Spectator

'Milton has created a truly gripping tale of jingoistic pride, atrocious cruelty, avarice and double-dealing...His research is impeccable and his narrative reads in part like a modern-day Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Once emarked upon the journey of the book, one is loath, sometimes unable - as were the characters within it - to turn back and abandon it' - Martin Booth, The Sunday Times

About the Author

Giles Milton is a writer and journalist. He has contributed articles for most of the British national newspapers as well as many foreign publications and specialises in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of his researches, he has travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East.   Photograph © Niall McDiarmid More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation