The interesting stories of forgotten explorers, soldiers, and sailors in their quest to find spices and glory amidst the uncharted vastness of the region was quite amazing. Unbeknownst to his backers, however, he never intended to follow this route at all, but immediately headed west to explore the possibility of a North-WEST Passage.

Much credit must go to Milton who has managed to piece together this history despite the limited extant historical sources. The Dutch records suggest that William Keeling helped instigate the ensuing massacre, but this accusation contradicts his own diaries. I had no clue about the race for the Spice Islands or just how important spices were to Europe in the 17th century. Throughout most of the book Milton does an admirable job using plenty of primary documents, but when it comes to Courthope, Milton shrugs off academic rigors and paints a picture of a selfless savior. and gently swaying palm trees, Willoughby and his men had met with freezing fog, impenetrable ice, and the realisation that London's merchants had made a terrible mistake when they chose the route over the North Pole.And yes, Milton often circles back in his chronology, goes back and forth in time so that it's sometimes hard to follow. one who could fledge out the history with greater depth, build a stronger thesis (Milton's thesis that a mid-level merchant altered history isn't that strong), and make the characters more human.

With waves of the plague hitting Europe and the belief that nutmeg and mace were cure-alls, a pinch of nutmeg was worth a staggering amount. I know this isn't the most important point in the book, but is that actually true, or does it just kind of "feel" true?

The Dutch are the eventual winners, but Milton argues that in the long run this was a Pyrrhic victory for the Dutch as they had to sacrifice the bounties of New Amsterdam/York as a consequence.

Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton is a historical account which neatly chronicles the race of all the major powers in Western Europe to corner the spice market. Milton's story, however, focuses on the tiny island of Run: one of a handful of islands where nutmeg and mace grew.

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. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. You know the man by report, I by experience; you by words, I by deeds; you by speech and company, but I by the daily trial of his life. I'd like to think of other adjectives for it, but it was such an overwhelming collection of information.

It is nonfiction that includes colonial expansion, indigenous peoples, ocean voyages, travels to far away lands, political scrambling, commercial trade, and food. But I wouldn't want too many details to be missing, because early 17th century values and practices are fascinating in their own right, and actions of the early explorers would have been incomprehensible without them.It took me a while to get into the story, but, once I got past the archaic and sometimes clumsy language, it was a fun read that prompted me to want to know even more about the islands. You will also learn that the English are good and the Dutch are bad (it is not quite clear why, but apparently the English were more gentlemanly when doing the pirate stuff). With such a long history during the years of the colonization, everything was decided in the negotiation rooms in London and The Hague and who knows where else. The particular focus is on the Banda archipelago, which was famous for being the world's only source of nutmeg and mace (at least until the Victorians learnt how to cultivate it elsewhere). Compelling, fascinating and filled with excerpts from primary sources, meaning letters and journals of the merchants and sailors and ships captains who experienced it all, I will never again use nutmeg, cloves, and peppercorns without thinking of the battles fought and blood shed in the 17th Century over these commodities.