100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

Nathaniel's Nutmeg

How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History
3.82 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 5,327 ratings, 487 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton is a fascinating historical account that delves into the fierce competition over the trade routes and control of the Spice Islands during the 17th century. The book centres on the lucrative nutmeg trade and explores how this small spice influenced global empires, spurring explorative voyages and intense rivalries between European powers. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Milton brings to life the adventures, conflicts, and extraordinary figures of this era, with a focus on Nathaniel Courthope's pivotal role.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by gripping tales of adventure and exploration mixed with historical intrigue. It presents an enthralling account of the fierce competition and extraordinary lengths that rival empires went to in the spice trade era, particularly focusing on the quest for nutmeg, and offers a window into a forgotten chapter of world history. Ideal for those who appreciate a blend of history, biography, and narrative storytelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The extraordinary adventure-filled story of how England came to own Manhattan in the seventeenth century

The extraordinary adventure-filled story of how England came to own Manhattan in the seventeenth century

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In 1616, an English adventurer, Nathaniel Courthope, stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret mission - to persuade the islanders of Run to grant a monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice in Europe. This infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to control the world's nutmeg supply.

For five years, Courthope and his 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 of exploration in the seventeenth century, Nathaniel's Nutmeg sheds a remarkable light on history.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton is widely praised as a captivating piece of popular history. Reviewers commend its engaging narrative and thorough research, highlighting Milton's ability to present an adventurous and sometimes grisly tale with confidence. The book is noted for igniting the reader's imagination and desire to explore, often compared to the riveting style of classic adventure novels.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780340696767

Publisher: John Murray Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 March 2000

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd

Illustration: Maps and integrated illustraions

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 288g

Pages: 416

About the Author

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.

Also by Giles Milton

View all
  • Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
    Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare uncovers one of the most riveting yet lesser-known stories of the Second World War. Set against the backdrop of a world on the brink of chaos, this book delves into the inception and operations of a unique top-secret organisation established in London during the spring of 1939. Its singular mission: to orchestrate the systematic destruction...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Stalin Affair
    A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Delivered with flamboyance, it features a sparkling cast of chancers' KATJA HOYER, Daily Telegraph 5* review 'Page-turning . . . a sizzling high-stakes tale' JAMES HOLLAND 'This book might read like the screenplay of a gripping movie, yet every word is accurate and verified' ANDREW ROBERTS 'Giles Milton is a phenomenon' DAN...
    Paperback
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Checkmate in Berlin
    'Brilliantly recapturing the febrile atmosphere of Berlin in the first four years after the Second World War, Giles Milton reminds us what an excellent story-teller he is' - Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny Berlin was in ruins when Soviet forces fought their way towards the Reichstag in the spring of 1945. Streets were choked with rubble, power...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Stalin Affair
    'Delivered with flamboyance, it features a sparkling cast of chancers' KATJA HOYER, Daily Telegraph 5* review 'Page-turning . . . a sizzling high-stakes tale' JAMES HOLLAND 'This book might read like the screenplay of a gripping movie, yet every word is accurate and verified' ANDREW ROBERTS 'Giles Milton is a phenomenon' DAN SNOW 'Another rollercoaster ride from Giles Milton. Endlessly...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • D-Day
    Compellingly authentic, revelatory and beautifully written. A gripping tour de force - Damien Lewis Almost seventy-five years have passed since D-Day, the day of the greatest seaborne invasion in history. The outcome of the Second World War hung in the balance on that chill June morning. If Allied forces succeeded in gaining a foothold in northern France, the road to...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Fascinating Footnotes From History
    Giles Milton is a man who can take an event from history and make it come alive... an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining' Matthew Redhead, The Times. Did you know that Hitler took cocaine? That Stalin robbed a bank? That Charlie Chaplin's corpse was filched and held to ransom? Giles Milton...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • White Gold
    Our Number One name in popular history is back with an explosive new paperback, a sensational new cover look, and a 'fiction' style marketing campaign that will strike gold in summer 2005. This is the forgotten story of the million white Europeans, snatched from their homes and taken in chains to the great slave markets of North Africa to be...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Paradise Lost
    On Saturday 9th September, 1922, the victorious Turkish cavalry rode into Smyrna, the richest and most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. What happened over the next two weeks must rank as one of the most compelling human dramas of the twentieth century. Almost two million people were caught up in a disaster of truly epic proportions. Paradise Lost is...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Russian Roulette
    In 1917, post-Russian Revolution, an unlikely and eccentric band of British spies were smuggled into newly Soviet Russia to thwart Lenin's plan to destroy British rule in India, as a precursor to toppling the democracies of the West. These spies, under Mansfield Cumming, were the unsung founders of the present-day MI6. The Soviet plot was breathtaking in scale: its aim...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Empire at the Edge of the World
    Pre-order
    Empire at the Edge of the World
    One man's lust for empire sent fifteen people into the Arctic - only one came back. 1913, the Arctic circle. Charismatic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson is obsessed with a frozen speck of land in the Siberian Arctic: Wrangel Island. Believing that whoever possesses it would control the future - air routes, resources, even the balance of power in the northern hemisphere,...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Pre-order
    Out 22 Sep 2026

More from Biography & Memoir

View all
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Famesick
    Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunΒ wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herΒ journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
    From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    Stakes
    Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the author’s bestselling memoirΒ Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampire’s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stoker’sΒ Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Built for This
    Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Even the Good Girls Will Cry
    Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    An Ocean and a Day
    An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    A Place to Stand
    A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clare’s thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Rory
    TheΒ New York TimesΒ bestseller The #1Β Irish TimesΒ bestseller The definitive biography of Rory McIlroy, the most important, popular and confounding player of the post-Tiger era. Rory McIlroy contains multitudes. The child of a working-class family from a small town in a war-torn homeland now commutes to work in his own private jet and counts billionaires as confidants. He can overwhelm a golf...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4199
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer
    Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    This Is Me: A Reckoning
    This is a searingly honest and moving memoir from double Golden Globe-nominatedactress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere has been in front of the camera since before she could talk. She roseto stardom typecasted as Hollywood's blonde girl next door. As a young celebrity,naysayers were certain she would crash and burn. Not one to disappoint, she did.Hayden Panettiere's irreverent memoir satisfies our...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Beyond Life and Death
    From martial arts icon and global film star Jet Li comes a revelatory, profound and inspiring guide to self-mastery and spiritual wisdom, distilled into 10 essential life lessons. Martial arts legend and international movie star Jet Li distils 10 powerful insights from his iconic career, his personal life and philosophies, and his 30-year Buddhist practice. Jet Li's story defies legend....
    By Jet Li
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.