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UK Authors - Historical non fiction - |
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Nathaniel’s Nutmeg |
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 Nathaniel’s Nutmeg byGiles Milton Hodder Headline (Sceptre ) 388 pages, 1999 ISBN 0340696761 Reviewed by our UK Editor Rachel A. Hyde The island of Run is a mere dot on the map and lies due north of Australia. Today, it is all but forgotten. It once was the stage for an extraordinary drama over what seems an ordinary item – nutmeg. In the early 17th century, any island that yielded spices was a Treasure Island indeed, for spices were believed to cure ills and added a fillip to dull meals. But nutmeg was thought to do more than this. People believed it would cure the plague and this sent the price rocketing. Into this forum came one Nathaniel Courthorpe, who worked for the East India Company, and who sailed first under Sir Henry Middleton, commanding ships himself later, all with the aim of winning for the Company such islands. He was fated to have many adventures involving cannibals, cruel despots and the Dutch - enemies of the English at the time - who wanted the islands for themselves. He had to raise native troops to help him, endured horrible tortures and many privations in order to gain this valuable asset. When people think of historical non-fiction, stirring tales of adventures and derring-do do not spring to mind. But this book is anything but dusty and deserves its rave reviews. If you enjoyed Wilbur Smith’s recent Courtney tales, and if you loved Treasure Island as a child (and adult), then you will enjoy this. It is a highly readable page-turner, particularly rare in a work of non-fiction. Nathaniel’s Nutmeg brings to life the struggles and hardships of a vanished age. I kept thinking that it would be appropriate to turn the story into a novel or a film. But perhaps that isn’t necessary. This book admirably captures the excitement of an unusual non fiction tale. |
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