The history of an obsession that once shaped the world
In the ancient Egyptian temple of Dayr al-Bahri is preserved the earliest surviving representation of a merchant fleet. Date to around 1495 BC, rows of hieroglyphs record that the pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut sent the fleet one thousand nine hundred miles south to the land of Punt, a mysterious kingdom somewhere in the Horn of Africa, whence it returned in triumph with a priceless cargo of cinnamon. Yet cinnamon never grew there; it comes from the islands of Southeast Asia; the scarcely credible conclusion is that by 1500 BC there was a trade in cinnamon from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other. At some unknown place, the long-forgotten merchants of Punt acquired the spice, and then resold it for the use of the embalmers, cosmeticians, priests, gods and god-kings of the Nile.
These hints of an ancient trade in spices are only the first, tantalisingly obscure fragments of an epic story. For the sake of spices, fortunes have been made, empires built and destroyed, and new worlds discovered. In the seventeenth century more people died for the sake of cloves than in all the European dynastic wars of the period. Perhaps only the story of mankind’s infatuation with precious metals can rival the story of spice in scope; and only the history of silver and gold rivals that of spice for its improbable and extraordinary combination of discovery and conquest, heroism and savagery, greed and violence.
The history of spice encompasses all the old civilizations and the new, from the lands of the Old Testament to the Spice Isands themselves. This is Jack Turner’s first work, but the ambition and brilliance and lucidity of his writing surely mark him out as a new star in the historical firmament. This will be a remarkable book.
Formerly a MacArthur Foundation Research Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, and a Rhodes Scholar, Jack Turner has been cook, farmhand, and photographer and has lived, and travelled in Britain, Spain, Indochina, South America, Syria, Southern Africa and Australia. He has a first-class degree from Melbourne University and a D.Phil from Oxford. He can speak and/or read seven languages.
"Sobre este título" puede pertenecer a otra edición de este libro.
Gastos de envío:
EUR 7,02
De Reino Unido a España
Descripción Hardback. Condición: Very Good. Illustrated Ilustrador. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Nº de ref. del artículo: GOR002034405
Descripción Condición: Good. Illustrated Ilustrador. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Nº de ref. del artículo: 16854905-20
Descripción Condición: Very Good. Illustrated Ilustrador. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Nº de ref. del artículo: GRP74703863
Descripción Illustrated Ilustrador. First Edition. 1st edition, 2004, with B&W & colour illustrations. Gift inscription on front free end paper; dust jacket spine faded Used - Very Good. VG hardback in VG dust jacket. Nº de ref. del artículo: BOOKS308687I
Descripción Condición: Good. Illustrated Ilustrador. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Nº de ref. del artículo: 7-000257067X-G
Descripción Cloth. Condición: Near Fine. Estado de la sobrecubierta: Near Fine. Illustrated Ilustrador. First British Edition. Well researched History of the Spice Trade, written in terms of the appetite that fuelled it. Black cloth cover with Gilt lettering to spine. Some Colour and B&W Illustrations. 409 Pages, 780g, 9 1/2" Tall. Previous owner's name onreverse of free endpaper. Jacket not clipped. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Nº de ref. del artículo: 009582
Descripción Hardcover. Condición: Fine. Estado de la sobrecubierta: Fine. Illustrated Ilustrador. 1st Edition. First printing. Well bound in clean black cloth covered boards with gilt titling to spine. Corners and spine ends all excellent. Text pages, illustrations and eps are all fine with no markings or inscriptions. D/J is complete with just a little light edge rubbing. Despatched same or next working day in protective packaging. Nº de ref. del artículo: 008023
Descripción Hardcover. Condición: Good. Illustrated Ilustrador. Nº de ref. del artículo: 296149
Descripción Hardcover. Condición: As New. Estado de la sobrecubierta: As New. Illustrated Ilustrador. 1st Edition. Hardcover in As New condition with As New dustwrapper. First edition, pp xxxviii, 409, colour illustrations, index. In the ancient Egyptian temple of Dayr al-Bahri is preserved the earliest surviving representation of a merchant fleet. Date to around 1495 BC, rows of hieroglyphs record that the pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut sent the fleet one thousand nine hundred miles south to the land of Punt, a mysterious kingdom somewhere in the Horn of Africa, whence it returned in triumph with a priceless cargo of cinnamon. Yet cinnamon never grew there; it comes from the islands of Southeast Asia; the scarcely credible conclusion is that by 1500 BC there was a trade in cinnamon from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other. At some unknown place, the long-forgotten merchants of Punt acquired the spice, and then resold it for the use of the embalmers, cosmeticians, priests, gods and god-kings of the Nile. These hints of an ancient trade in spices are only the first, tantalisingly obscure fragments of an epic story. For the sake of spices, fortunes have been made, empires built and destroyed, and new worlds discovered. In the seventeenth century more people died for the sake of cloves than in all the European dynastic wars of the period. Perhaps only the story of mankind?s infatuation with precious metals can rival the story of spice in scope; and only the history of silver and gold rivals that of spice for its improbable and extraordinary combination of discovery and conquest, heroism and savagery, greed and violence. The history of spice encompasses all the old civilizations and the new, from the lands of the Old Testament to the Spice Isands themselves. This is Jack Turner?s first work, but the ambition and brilliance and lucidity of his writing surely mark him out as a new star in the historical firmament. This will be a remarkable book. Nº de ref. del artículo: 005488