The Scents of Eden: A History of the Spice Trade

by Charles Corn

Book Overview

Clothed in mystery and lost in uncharted seas, the Spice Islands of the early sixteenth century tantalized European imagination to the point of obsession. As the only place on Earth where grew the "holy trinity" of spices-cloves, nutmeg, and mace-these minuscule islands quickly became a wellspring of international intrigue and personal fortune, occasioning the rise and fall of nations across the globe. It is the history of these islands, their mystique,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1568362498
• ISBN13: 9781568362496
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Kodansha
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 9.1" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Fills in knowledge gap

Nice, interesting historical read. This book filled in a lot of gaps in my historical knowledge. The book is a nicely interwoven tale of various personas involved in the spice trade as well as the macro-history of this trade. My only complaint is that at times the book would give overly-flowery descriptions within the historical context. I understand that this is done to make the book more readable, it just over does it at times. Or it could be that I'm being overly-critical because I read Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel right before reading this (Diamond's book does an absolutely perfect job of walking the line between readability and scientific rigor).

He who is Lord of Malacca has Venice by the Throat

Thus goes the old saying which aptly summarised the politics and economics of the renaissance spice trade. Charles Corn's splendid narrative of the spice trade seeks to explain the forces which inspired Western Europeans to commit acts of bravery and madness in pursuit of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Provided you didn't get yourself either killed by the weird island Sultans of the various East Indies, or robbed by a rival merchant fleet, the spice trade offered profits well in excess of 1000%. The spice trade started with Portugal's efforts to win control of Malacca (in modern Malaysia); it continued with the establishment of the two rival East India Companies (Dutch and English respectively), who fought control of the Banda island group. (At that time, Banda had the world's monopoly on nutmeg, the King of Spices.) Corn has visited the Banda group (modern Indonesia) and as a result, his descriptions of these once-prized possessions has a sure sense of place. Also enjoyable are the later chapters dealing with the American intrusion into the spice trade, which, as Corn notes, was closely linked to the American slave trade. "Scents of Eden" complements another recent tale of pirate-capitalism, "The Power of Gold."

A Cornucopia (Pardon The Pun) Of Well-Told Tales

I just finished "Nathaniel's Nutmeg" last week and since I had not yet had my fill of spices I decided to keep right on going with this book. It was a good decision. Both books are excellent. "Nathaniel's Nutmeg" covers a shorter period of time and the author is mainly interested in the power struggle between the Dutch and English. In "The Scents of Eden", Mr. Corn uses a broader canvas. He gives information about the Portuguese, who preceded the other countries. He provides interesting character sketches of Magellan and other explorers, which you might have expected to find in a book such as this, but he also traces the exploits of the Jesuit, Francis Xavier. The book then moves into the battle between the Dutch and the English and we get interesting little asides, such as at the execution of Sir Walter Raleigh when Sir Walter asked to run his finger along the executioner's blade and then quipped: "This is sharp medicine, but it is a sure cure for all diseases." Mr. Corn continues past the struggle between Holland and England and gives some interesting information about the entrance of the United States into the spice trade and the rise of Salem (yes, that Salem!) as a major player in pepper. I also learned that in 1873 the Dutch started a war in the East Indies against Aceh. This struggle continued for 40 years and Holland lost 250,000 men. I consider myself pretty well read but I had never known anything about this. The book is full of interesting things like this but don't get the impression that it is dry or boring. Mr. Corn is equally adept at giving well crafted descriptions of men and scenery and life aboard ship. You will be both educated and entertained. What more could you want?

Highly recommended!!

A fascinating subject made even more so by the author's skillful writing. I was totally drawn into the book and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of this area ... or man's early obsession with spices.

Spices: Of Cloves, Nutmeg, Mace and Men

In "The Scents of Eden: A Narrative of the Spice Trade," Charles Corn weaves a compelling story of adventure, betrayal and greed which shaped global economies, and drove the discovery of nations. He breathes life into historical figures, describing how they overcame tremendous odds but also succumbed to common human failings. All the while, the reader inhales deeply of the heady descriptions of clove, mace and nutmeg. In this book, spice, once relegated to infrequent and uninspired use in American cooking, is imbued with the passion and intrigue that propelled the early explorers. As Americans take interest in the Far East, they have been re-discovering the flavors indigenous to that area of the world. Restaurants that serve Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and Malaysian cuisine have been proliferating. With Indonesia so often in the news these days, Corn's book gives the current state of affairs and interest in the Far East a tumultuous historic backdrop. This is the story behind the intriguing aromas that drove the development of the global economy. I agree with other reviewers here, it could have used one more edit. But overall, a fascinating read. I was transported.