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Summary: The process of colonization does not have good guys
Review: Undoubtedly, the story telling skills of Mr. Milton are fantastic. The same can not be said for his moral coherence. The portrayal of the British mercenaries and colonizers as humanistic and concerned for the welfare of the territories they attempted to control vs the solely rude and money minded Dutch, is one of the most shamelessly one sided characterization of events I have read in a long time. Besides its thesis of how Captain Courthope "changed history" is a funny isolation of all persons who simultaneously were living their imprint in history so that that the events that lead to the exchange of Manhattan for the islands of Indonesia, could take place. However, if you approach this book without reacting emotionally to the myopic patriotism of the author and its absurd disregard for the rights and historical perspective of the natives, which were equally murdered cheated and dispossessed by all the european powers of that time you might enjoy it.
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Summary: Ahoy matey! Looking for the real thing?
Review: "The island can be smelled before it can be seen. From more than ten miles out to sea a fragrance hangs in the air, and long before the bowler-hat mountain hovers into view you know you are nearing land." ******************************** This is the kind of book that MAKES a person interested in history. Giles Milton filled this jewel of a book with the kind of facts that would have kept everyone awake in high school history class. BEWARE : it is not for the faint of heart. The details are, at times, rather gruesome. I, for one, am a sucker for the daring accounts of sea-faring. *The diseases - scurvy (occurred mainly because of a lack of fruits/vegetables in the crews' diets, lemons were used later to restore and improve health), the bloody flux, dysentery *roach infested ships and rotting food - until they realized that spices, such as nutmeg, could be used to preserve meats *pillaging foreign fleets for treasures - this is from the English perspective, so they nabbed treasures from their enemies, and long time controllers of the spice trade, the Portuguese and Dutch *meeting natives (cannibals too) - from the spice islands, to Russia, the Americas, etc. *monotony, and the creative techniques some captains used to keep their sailors alert for the ride. 1607 - William Keeling had his crew practice Shakespearean plays. 'Hamlet' was performed aboard, while anchored near African shores. Keeling also had his crew partake in a fishing expedition (3,000+ fish caught) and going ashore to collect lemons in the brush and kill an elephant with muskets. As some reviewers have pointed out, Milton's account doesn't always follow chronologically. This shouldn't dissuade potential readers, though. I made notes while I read, which kept everything fresh in my head. What Milton focused on more were the key developments in the spice trade process, notably the hardships of sea-travel, the search for a NW or NE passage (In 1580 - an English expedition discovered the long horn of a Narwhal whale and concluded it was from a unicorn, leading to the disillusioned belief that they were close to China), the reputation each country made for itself in the islands (the Dutch were brutal), and the transition from the Islands to the lush, rich American Island - Manhattan. While searching for the illusive NW passage, Henry Hudson and his crew landed at Manhattan and befriended the Native Americans. The name of the Island is derived from "manahactanienk", which means "the island of general intoxication". The English had plied the Indians with their strong liquor and got them very drunk! It is the trade of the island Run (nutmeg central) for Manhattan that ties up this bevy of historical fanaticism. Milton followed this book with 'Big Chief Elizabeth', which is what the Native Americans called Queen Elizabeth I. The book maps the course of early colonization in America.
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Summary: I had a little nut tree...
Review: ...and nothing would it bear/save a silver nutmeg and a golden pear. Unlike this children's poem we know that nutmegs aren't silver nor are pears gold; but after reading this fascinating bit of popular history you will see that in 17th century Europe, the lowly lttle nutmeg, "dry, wrinkled and not much bigger than a garden pea," was worth more than it's weight in silver and gold. How is that possible? How could this insignificant little nut from unknown isles be worth men sailing halfway around the world, enduring a 3 year round trip, facing diseases, and dangers, fighting wars for it and setting up trading empires over it.? The answer lay in one rather prosaic reason and another more enthralling. Nutmegs were excellent preservatives and were in huge demand for preparing various meats. There were however other spices that could do the job and using them as preservatives was nothing new. That may not explain it, but "when the physicians of Elizabethan London began claiming [that it was]...the only certain cure for the plague" then the nut, always costly, "rocketed in price". It was seen as a cure all The price factor was certainly accentuated by the difficulty in obtaining the spice. It was rare - "a tree so fussy about climate and soil that it would only grow on a tiny cluster of islands, the Banda archipelago, which were of such impossible remoteness that no one in Europe could be sure if they existed at all". They did. South of a much larger grouping of islands called the Moluccas or 'Spice Islands', which are west of New Guinea. The Banda Islands are now part of Indonesia. What makes this story interesting is the tale of how the Portuguese and the Spanish first started the trade and then how more seriously and significantly the English and then the Dutch took it up. These two nations formed their respective East India Companies - names which although long faded into history still tell of days of vast riches and trading empires. The Dutch were the most determined and the tales told by Milton are not all glamorous ones of riches. There were deeds of treachery and torture especially after the arrival of one Jan Coen, as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He was irascible, impatient and intent on expelling the English from the area. He did not care much for the native Bandanese population either. "They are indolent people of whom little good can be expected". As such he sold most into slavery and massacred others. He then turned his attention to Run, a tiny English outpost and fortress island at the western extreme of the Banda archipelago. Here we finally meet the book's eponymous Captain Nathaniel Courthope. The Captain who arrived in 1616, marshaled his men and they made a heroic stand, holding out for 4 years against far superior numbers of Dutch. Finally in one last battle at sea Courthope fell, shot in the chest, and plunged overboard never to be seen again. The island was conquered. Not satisfied with victory, Coen wants to punish. He despoils the land by ripping out all the nutmeg trees and in a final act of hate, tortures and butchers English merchants on the faraway spice isle of Amboyna. The story could have and should have ended here. But on this sour note?, Not where the setting is lush, paradise, spice isles, and the subject is grand - adventure on the seas, riches to be made. There should be a hero! It's no surprise then that Milton was unable to leave the story there and so we get an end that is a bit of a stretch. He argues that Coulthope's last stand allowed the English, some 50 years later to trade their rights to Run for a large island with a tiny town called New Amsterdam (which they were occupying). Nutmegs for what would eventually become the Big Apple. I wonder how many New Yorker's know, or should I say believe, that they owe their good fortune to one Nathaniel Coulthope. The ending doesn't really spoil the book. Buy and enjoy it...you don't have to buy the theory.
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Summary: An enjoyable history lesson .
Review: This is a very readable account of the battle for the spice islands . By the end of the sixteenth century two great powers were in decline ( Spain and Portugal ) , and two developing powers ( England and Holland ) , became involved in a series of skirmishes for the lucrative spice islands that had once been under the control of Spain and Portugal . What follows is an epic story that has just about everything in it ( trials and tribulations on the high seas , murder and intrigue , battles , disasterous voyages to discover the north east passage , cannibalism , exotic people and places , and finally treachery and torture ) . The eponymous hero only makes a brief appearance towards the end of the book , but his heroic and ultimately tragic stand against the Dutch would have a profound effect on the British empire , and therefore the Western world . This is a book that entertains and enlightens in equal measure and is worth reading .
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Summary: Rediscovering history in the best possible way
Review: I loved this book- just loved it. Not only is the subject fascinating, it is well researched, beautifully written and a gripping story. Starting with literature such as Shakespeare and Chaucer, Milton sets the stage by taking us back to the fifteenth and sixteenth century to trace the use of nutmeg and spices in the Western world and to build a picture of its importance and popularity. He then diversifies and constructs a deeply layered and satisfying picture of the historical development of the importation of Nutmeg to the west. In fact, for a long time no one in the west even knew where it came from at all. The Spice route was necessarily complicated and so would travel mysterious routes to reach Constantinople where the Venetian monopoly would bring it further west. The bizarre, sometimes hilarious (and usually tragic ) attempts to find and claim the Spice Islands followed and then the amazing and a courageous story of Nathaniel Courthorpe follows. Milton's book is a beautifully written, he easily blends the diverse elements of the story, the political situation, the personalities, the competing countries and so on to build a profoundly satisfying and personal book. The detail in it is drawn out and only adds to the richness of the book. I really enjoyed his style and will search out "TheRiddle and the Knight', one of Milton's earlier books, next. Nathaniel's Nutmeg reminded me a lot of two other gems of books I have read recently, 'The Arcanum' by Janet Gleeson and Dava Sobel's 'Longitude'. If you liked either of those books, then try this. (or if you liked this try either of these) The purpose behind all these books is that they take a small piece of history, something that was pivotal at the time, but has been long forgotten. In this case the finding of, and establishment of a colony for Nutmeg. This is a book I will have great pleasure in re-reading regularly.
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Summary: When life exceeds imagination
Review: Reading some of the reviews, one might get the wrong idea that this is a "fun" history book. Well it isn't. It is a fun book period. It has all the elements of a great adventure book filled with intrigue, danger and bravery with the distinct novelty of realizing as you go along that it is all real. Everything in this book is based on journals, diaries and documents of that era and the author weaves an incredible tapestry from those many resources turning them into a single coherent and, I find, fascinating story. The historic tidbits that accompany the storyline are, in my opinion more of an added value then the main course itself and should be treated accordingly. Think of it as a historically accurate "treasure island" that teaches you a thing or two while you're enjoying a great read.
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Summary: Excellently researched, fascinating history...
Review: For someone who tends to read novels, this refreshing and fascinating book about the discovery of, exploitation of, and fighting for the East Indian spice islands was a lovely hiatus for me. Although titled in honor of the British Nathaniel Courthope who managed to hold the Dutch off the tiny spice island of Run, the book only spends one chapter on him toward the end. One of the reasons for this seemingly skewed portrait of Courthope and his accomplishment is that his grip on the island of Run allowed the British to eventually trade it with the Dutch for the island of Manhattan (and let's face it, how many people have heard of Run and how many have heard of Manhattan!) The bulk of the book describes in detail the numerous and various voyages, battles, and wild 'transactions' between the British, Portuguese and Dutch in their fight for possession and control of the valuable spice-producing islands (what today are part of Malaysia, Indonesia and other smaller island nations in the South Pacific). In general this is a fascinating and exciting tale - made more exciting by the fact that is was real - real history. Specifically, it was obvious that the author was British as the reader is led to believe that the Dutch and Portuguese were absolute barbarians when in fact, the British captains and crew were certainly not all tea and crumpet types either. I also had a little trouble with the author's tendency to jump back and forth between Atlantic and Pacific voyages, and mentioning protagonists in one chapter and bringing them back in subsequent chapters - it was sometimes hard to follow who was where when. The most impressive part of this book for me was the fact that the author must have had to read through thousands of very old diaries, letters, and other correspondance of the time to have built such a wonderfully complete tale of this period in history set in a place in the world very few people know a good deal about. Just wonderful.
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Summary: Profit and Treachery on the High Seas
Review: This was a great read...just the kind of history book that makes learning fun. Who would have thought that so much blood could be shed over what is today a relatively common spice -- nutmeg. During the 16th and 17th centuries, nutmeg was as valuable as gold and all the big players of Western Europe (Spain, Holland, and England) were eager to get in on the action. Eventually Spain dropped out of the race leaving England and Holland to wreak havoc upon each other and the natives of several South Pacific Islands. Milton's prose is wonderfully descriptive with a dash of dry, British humor in all the right places. Beware...this book is not for the soft-hearted as contains ample bloodshed and vivid torture scenes. The complete disregard that the Dutch and English had for the natives and the ecological balance of the islands can also be a bit shocking to the 21st century mind. But it is a worthwhile read nonetheless. The only thing I didn't understand was the title...Nathanial shows up towards the end of the book and although he's quite heroic, his is by no means the only story told.
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Summary: The Fun is in the Details
Review: Giles Milton's Nathaniel's Nutmeg is a wonderful ride. It is less about Nathaniel Courthope or even the island of Run, specifically, than the back of the book description would allow the reader to believe. It is none the less thrilling for that. The narrative ranges all over the globe from Russia, the arctic, Africa, Manhattan and India in order to tell the true story centred on the Spice Islands. Giles Milton is quite good at selecting the right characters to personalize many of these unbelievalbe incidents. It is a weird story that builds as it goes along. It took a while to get interested in this crazy quilt approach but it pays off nicely in this wonderful book. A fun piece of pop history.
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Summary: Pacific History we know too little of.
Review: This is a great read and a great history. It tells us about a place and time we know too little about. It tells how central these little islands (south of western New Guinea) were to Europe and to the economy of the time. Most Pacific histories start with Captain Cook. This started over 200 years earlier. Most economic undertakings in the South Pacific were dead losses. This made the Dutch rich. Trips to the Spice Islands frequently killed more than half the crew yet people kept getting on those ships. This made the California gold rush look like a walk in the park. That political deals eventually gave Manhatten to England was interesting, but in fact that is just a fraction of this story. If you have any interest in History, get this one.
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