On Christmas Day 1616, an English adventurer, Nathaniel Courthope, stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret and dangerous mission - to persuade the head-hunting islanders of Run to grant monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice in Europe.
The welcome he received infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to seize control of the world's nutmeg supply. For five years Courthope and his half-starved band of thirty men were besieged by a force one hundred times greater - and his heroism set in motion the events that led to the founding of the greatest city on earth.
A beautifully told adventure story and a fascinating depiction, illuminated by first-hand accounts, of the world of exploration opening up in the seventeenth century, 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' sheds a remarkable light on history.
Includes black-and-white illustrations.
