Spice

“Each of the episodes Crowley covers are fascinating stories, drenched in gothic detail and pushed through with frenetic energy.”—Daniel Brooks, The Telegraph

“A story of tremendous verve and scope.”—Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

“Crowley’s ability to weave threads together makes his story flow effortlessly across time and space. His details of maritime expeditions in particular emphasise their mix of adventure, ambition and cruelty.”—Christopher Kissane, Irish Times

“Riveting, piquant history. . . . An engaging new look at seasoning’s long ago seasons.”—The Economist

“Crowley’s propulsive narrative is as full of storms, privations, enslavement, piracy and blood as the heady whiff of spice.”—Michael Prodger, New Statesman

“Crowley has the knack of turning fragments into a mosaic, and his latest book is another colorful, sweeping saga.”​—Kirkus Reviews​

“That spices should be worth more than their weight in gold and prompt people to risk death exploring treacherous routes to get to them is a compelling story and Crowley tells it well.”—Sophie Roell, Five Books

“Crowley is perfectly qualified to confront this textured story.”—Unseen Histories

“[A] fascinating book. . . . Well written and gives the reader a sense of what it must have been like to sail into unknown territory thousands of miles from home.”—Money Week

“Written with the verve of a detective novel. . . . Crowley’s book spans an action-packed 60 years.”—Peter Carey, History Today

“While the book provides plenty of opportunity for displays of bravery and stupidity, curiosity and greed, it’s also about how easily the human mind can deceive itself into thinking all of those things to be the same.”—Mark Rappolt, Art Review

“An eminently readable account of a thrilling historical moment that transformed the world—and shaped it to become the one we live in today.”—Zoltán Biedermann, author of (Dis)Connected Empires

“An extraordinary voyage through the sixteenth century with a master storyteller. Spice is a rollicking historical tale wherein incredible seafaring adventure collides with the geopolitics of the first global supply chain.”—Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of To Risk It All

“Roger Crowley is a great narrator, matched here to his greatest theme: the circling of the planet to create for the first time a truly global economy. A heart-pulsing story of terrifying hardship and inspiring courage.”—David Frum, senior editor at the Atlantic

“A terrific story packed with powerful characters, and transformational moments in history, one that explains how and why the global world was created, and at what cost.”—Andrew Lambert, author of Seapower States

“A spirited account of the brave, greedy, brutal, and often foolhardy incursions of Spanish-financed adventurers into what is now Indonesia and the Philippines.”—Michael Krondl, author of The Taste of Conquest