Springcleaning Book 16 – “Nathaniel’s Nutmeg” by Giles Milton

Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton is a history of the spice trade from the islands which now form Indonesia to England. It’s a trade that started in the sixteenth century and as the islands were then known as the East Indies the company which was formed to undertake this trade was called the East India Company. At first it consisted of a few ships making the hazardous journey but it then grew into a huge monopolistic corporation with its own army which controlled trade across the world. England wasn’t, of course, the only country seeking to import spices from this area and this book talks about the conflicts which arose, especially with the Dutch, for control of the islands and their amazingly profitable products.

The author examines the different routes which were used to get to the East Indies, the conditions for the sailors, the ways that treaties were negotiated or enforced on the indigenous people, how these expeditions were financed, and the nasty tactics which both sides used to retain their control. It’s often not a nice story and includes torture, murder, arson, kidnapping and colonialism at its very worst. The author tells the story in a very accessible way and I was completely engaged in the story. He is careful to show the horrendous impact on the islands of the trade and the inhumanity of those involved in the trade to the local people and to the sailors and officials of other countries.

The Nathaniel of the title appears only towards the end of the book when he is involved in the attempt to secure the monopoly for nutmeg on the small island of Run. The author is able to show how his actions affected government policy and resulted in another international agreement which had wide reaching implications, although Nathaniel himself didn’t live to see the effects of his actions.

This is the sort of narrative history I love in that it illuminates events that still have an impact today but through the lives and activities of people that the author makes very real to the reader. I have read a few books by this author and you can see reviews of two here and here. I picked up this book secondhand because I had wanted to read it for some time and it did not disappoint me. I shall keep this copy with the small collection of books that I have about exploration and adventures.