Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton

Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton

A true tale of high adventure in the South Seas.

The tiny island of Run is an insignificant speck in the Indonesian archipelago. Just two miles long and half a mile wide, it is remote, tranquil, and, these days, largely ignored.

Yet 370 years ago, Run's harvest of nutmeg (a pound of which yielded a 3,200 percent profit by the time it arrived in England) turned it into the most lucrative of the Spice Islands, precipitating a battle between the all-powerful Dutch East India Company and the British Crown. The outcome of the fighting was one of the most spectacular deals in history: Britain ceded Run to Holland but in return was given Manhattan. This led not only to the birth of New York but also to the beginning of the British Empire.

Such a deal was due to the persistence of one man. Nathaniel Courthope and his small band of adventurers were sent to Run in October 1616, and for four years held off the massive Dutch navy. Nathaniel's Nutmeg centers on the remarkable showdown between Courthope and the Dutch Governor General Jan Coen, and the brutal fate of the mariners racing to Run-and the other corners of the globe-to reap the huge profits of the spice trade. Written with the flair of a historical sea novel but based on rigorous research, Giles Milton's Nathaniel's Nutmeg is a brilliant adventure story by a writer who has been hailed as the "new Bruce Chatwin" (Mail on Sunday).

He specializes on the history of travel and exploration, and has written pieces to most of the British national newspapers as well as numerous overseas media. He has traveled widely across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas as part of his studies. He is the author of four nonfiction works, including the best-selling Nathaniel's Nutmeg, which has been translated into fifteen languages around the world. Nose is Edward Trencom's first novel.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781250069283
ISBN 10	1250069289
Title	Nathaniel's Nutmeg
Author	Giles Milton
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	St Martin's Press
Year published	2015-06-02
Number of pages	400
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.