9781684582440
9781684582457
A first-class narrative writer blends his unique cartographic and topographic understanding of the key ports of early seaborne commerce.
We may think of “globalism” as a recent development but its origins date back to the fifteenth century and beyond, when seafarers pioneered routes across the oceans with the objectives of exploration, trade, and profit.
These voyages only became possible after certain technical innovations—improvements in ship design, compasses, and mapping—enabled navigation across unprecedented distances. The mariners’ embarkation points were the vibrant ports of the West—Venice, Amsterdam, Lisbon—and their destinations the exotic ports of the East—Malacca, Goa, Bombay—where they tracked down the elusive spices, so much in demand by Western palates.
This development of maritime communication brought benefits apart from culinary delights: the spread of ideas on art, literature, and science. But it was not necessarily beneficial for everyone concerned: colonial ambitions were often disastrous for local populations, who were frequently exploited as slave plantation labor.
This wide-ranging account of a fascinating period of global history uses original maps and contemporary artists’ views to tell the story of how each port developed individually while also encouraging us to consider contrasting points of view of the benefits and the damages of the maritime spice trade.
We may think of “globalism” as a recent development but its origins date back to the fifteenth century and beyond, when seafarers pioneered routes across the oceans with the objectives of exploration, trade, and profit.
These voyages only became possible after certain technical innovations—improvements in ship design, compasses, and mapping—enabled navigation across unprecedented distances. The mariners’ embarkation points were the vibrant ports of the West—Venice, Amsterdam, Lisbon—and their destinations the exotic ports of the East—Malacca, Goa, Bombay—where they tracked down the elusive spices, so much in demand by Western palates.
This development of maritime communication brought benefits apart from culinary delights: the spread of ideas on art, literature, and science. But it was not necessarily beneficial for everyone concerned: colonial ambitions were often disastrous for local populations, who were frequently exploited as slave plantation labor.
This wide-ranging account of a fascinating period of global history uses original maps and contemporary artists’ views to tell the story of how each port developed individually while also encouraging us to consider contrasting points of view of the benefits and the damages of the maritime spice trade.
288 pages | 127 color plates, 34 maps | 6 x 9 | © 2024
Geography: Cultural and Historical Geography
History: Discoveries and Exploration, General History
Table of Contents
1. The Merchants of Venice with Marco Polo, a pioneering map-maker,
Shakespeare’s Play and Galileo’s Telescope
2. Alexandria, Gateway to the East with Napoleon’s dream, the Suez Canal, the Periplus,
Aden and a taste of coffee
3 Goa and the Malabar Coast and ecclesiastical and other figures who found fame there
4 Lisbon, Queen of the Sea the search for a direct route to India and the making of a national poet
5 Malacca and the Malay World a Chinese admiral, round-the-word sailor and foundations of the law of the sea
6 Amsterdam and the birth of the Netherlands credit to an early spy, plus spices, tulips and the birth of the limited company
7 Batavia and the Spice Islands seeking the original source of spices amid thousands of islands
8 Cape Town and other Taverns of the Seas rivalry in the Indian Ocean, Napoleon meets the founder of Singapore
9 Bombay, Gateway of India a Royal dowry, the American civil war, cotton, tea and opium
10 London, Warehouse of the World oceans give command over the world, plus Longitude,Newton and Darwin
11 New York, Salem and the Manhattan Transfer a territorial swap consolidates British control over spices and North America
12 Singapore, Lion City another island state takes off with help from nutmeg,rubber and ingenuity
Endmatter
Shakespeare’s Play and Galileo’s Telescope
2. Alexandria, Gateway to the East with Napoleon’s dream, the Suez Canal, the Periplus,
Aden and a taste of coffee
3 Goa and the Malabar Coast and ecclesiastical and other figures who found fame there
4 Lisbon, Queen of the Sea the search for a direct route to India and the making of a national poet
5 Malacca and the Malay World a Chinese admiral, round-the-word sailor and foundations of the law of the sea
6 Amsterdam and the birth of the Netherlands credit to an early spy, plus spices, tulips and the birth of the limited company
7 Batavia and the Spice Islands seeking the original source of spices amid thousands of islands
8 Cape Town and other Taverns of the Seas rivalry in the Indian Ocean, Napoleon meets the founder of Singapore
9 Bombay, Gateway of India a Royal dowry, the American civil war, cotton, tea and opium
10 London, Warehouse of the World oceans give command over the world, plus Longitude,Newton and Darwin
11 New York, Salem and the Manhattan Transfer a territorial swap consolidates British control over spices and North America
12 Singapore, Lion City another island state takes off with help from nutmeg,rubber and ingenuity
Endmatter
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