The Spice Route: A History - Softcover

Keay, John

3.72

161 ratings by Goodreads

9780719568053: The Spice Route: A History

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0719568056 ISBN 13: 9780719568053

Publisher: John Murray, 2005

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An exotic saga with the tang of drama in every voyage, The Spice Route transports the reader from the dawn of history to the ends of the earth

The Spice Route is one of history's great anomalies. Shrouded in mystery, it existed long before anyone knew of its extent or alignment. Spices came from lands unseen, possibly uninhabitable, and almost by definition unattainable; that was what made them so desirable. Yet more livelihoods depended on this pungent traffic, more nations participated in it, more wars were fought over it, and more discoveries resulted from it than from any other global exchange.

In a bid to discover and exploit the spice route, mankind first passed beyond his known horizons to probe the limits of our planet. Epic was the quest, and in this major new study, epic is the treatment as John Keay pieces together a historical process that spans three millennia and a geographical progression that encircles the world.

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Review:

Praise for Last Post

Just occasionally one comes across a really wonderful book. John Keay's Last Post is just such a treasure. Readable, erudite, witty, immensely enjoyable (Richard Gott Literary Review)

A vivid and impressive account of an extraordinary period of imperial history (Philip Ziegler Daily Telegraph)

A superb account ... he controls the overall shape of the complex narrative with deceptive grace, while sewing small delightful jewels of detail throughout the fabric (John Simpson Sunday Telegraph)

An astonishing, panoramic view of an immense process (Jan Morris)

An immensely well-researched and entertaining book (Simon Heffer, Observer)

Its digressiveness is also a boon, allowing Keay to touch on everything (FT Magazine)

Serves up a feast of detail on a fascinating and little-known subject (Sunday Telegraph)

A delightful, scholarly and thoroughly readable account (Geographical)

'Keay's retelling of the tale is restrained yet powerful, his choice of facts compelling' (Guardian)

Book Description:

Aromatic spices and exotic trade routes mingle headily in this lush, evocative history.

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