PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Giles Milton is a writer and journalist. He has contributed articles for most of the British national newspapers as well as many foreign publications and specialises in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of his researches, he has travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East.
Milton's third book tells the story of how this unimpressive-looking spice was once fought over with the same ardent brutishness we now reserve for crude oil. Doctors in the 17th century considered it the only true specific against the plague. It was also thought to be an aphrodisiac, and excessive consumption was the undoing of the Earl of Dorset. This book traces the struggle, principally between Holland and England, to secure the source of this precious commodity, a remote group of mountainous islands in the East Indies. It is not a very elevating story; the Dutch are portrayed as the villains of the piece while the English are their plucky and bewildered victims, a slant that gives an old-fashioned Boy's Own character to the book. This is popular history of the Longitude school by a writer with an infectious enthusiasm for his subject. Helpful maps and illustrations. Review by ANDREW MILLER ANDREW MILLER'S books include Casanova and Ingenious Pain, winner of the 1999 IMPAC award. (Kirkus UK)
