Spice

The 16th-Century Contest That Shaped the Modern World

By: Roger Crowley

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

The story of the 16th-century’s epic contest for the spice trade, which propelled European maritime exploration and conquest across Asia and the Pacific.

Spices drove the early modern world economy, and for Europeans they represented riches on an unprecedented scale. Cloves and nutmeg could reach Europe only via a complex web of trade routes, and for decades Spanish and Portuguese explorers competed to find their elusive source. But when the Portuguese finally reached the spice islands of the Moluccas in 1511, they set in motion a fierce competition for control.

Roger Crowley shows how this struggle shaped the modern world. From 1511 to 1571, European powers linked up the oceans, established vast maritime empires, and gave birth to global trade, all in the attempt to control the supply of spices.

Taking us on voyages from the dockyards of Seville to the vastness of the Pacific, the volcanic Spice Islands of Indonesia, the Arctic Circle, and the coasts of China, this is a narrative history rich in vivid eyewitness accounts of the adventures, shipwrecks, and sieges that formed the first colonial encounters—and remade the world economy for centuries to follow.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Roger Crowley (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

A Brutal, Fascinating Look at the Birth of Global Trade

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve recently become very interested in the era of early European exploration and colonization, and this book scratched that itch perfectly in a way that was both engaging and informative.

It vividly portrays the discoveries themselves, the brutal and often deadly journeys the explorers endured, and the broader geopolitical context of Europe’s first sustained encounters with the East. The book also does an excellent job of explaining how crucial spices were in kick-starting the modern global trade system, while never losing sight of the small, human-level stories of first contact.

The audiobook narration was excellent—the voice actor brought real life and energy to the stories, making the history feel vivid and immersive rather than distant or dry.

Overall, this is an excellent read (and listen) for anyone interested in this transformative period of history.

Loved it!

I listened this book in a few days, I couldn’t stop. Crowley is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of his books and this one is another outstanding work! I look forward to his next book.

Spice or Megellan?

So far very little about the Spice and lots about Megellan. I want a refund. Will keep listening with the hope I hear about spice.

Litany of Maritime Disasters

Most of the book was a stream of maritime disasters. Very little time spent on spice or trade. The last 30 minutes were the best

More about silver than spices.

Good performance by the narrator but title is slightly misleading since it says relatively little about the use of spices