APD Singapore and the Singapore Heritage Society invites you to a talk by Ian Burnet, author of the recently published Spice Islands (2011). Ian will share some insights into the history of the famous Spice Islands of Indonesia, their produce which have captured the imagination of some of the world’s most famous explorers, and the subsequent attempts by their sponsors to control and dominate the spice trade.

About Spice Islands:

Ian Burnet, Spice Islands, Rosenberg Publishing, 2011

Cloves and nutmeg are indigenous to the Spice Islands of Eastern Indonesia, this book tells of the many uses of these exotic spices and the history of their trade over a period of more than 2000 years. It follows the Silk Road across Central Asia and the Spice Route over the Indian Ocean and describes how the spice trade into Europe came to be dominated by Middle Eastern and Venetian merchants.

Backed by the Crowns of Portugal and Spain, explorers such as Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Magellan dreamt of capturing this trade by sailing directly to the Spice Islands, driving the maritime exploration of the world known as ‘The Age of Discovery’. Much of the story is told through the lives of these historical characters, as well as Sir Francis Drake, Jan Pieterzoom Coen, Pierre Poivre, and others that are lesser known but equally important. The story also revolves around the intense rivalry between the Sultans of Ternate and Tidore and their relationship with the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English, who at different times occupied the Spice Islands.

The book follows the growth of the Dutch and English East India Companies which were founded to profit from the spice trade and their efforts to monopolise that trade. It finishes as the Dutch East Indies Company goes into bankruptcy and the once splendid Sultanates sink into obscurity.

About the speaker:

A professional geologist/geophysicist, Ian Burnet learned about the Spice Islands of Ternate, Tidore and Banda on his first visit to Indonesia in 1968, and have always been interested in the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch activities in the islands and the spices that made them rich. He found it surprising that the fascinating history of these islands and how they caused the European ‘Voyages of Discovery’ had never been adequately told, and he promised to tell the story one day. Spice Islands is the result.

Ian is a member of The Australian Society of Authors, The NSW Writers Centre, and The Australian Indonesian Association. He lives in Sydney, Australia and is currently working on another book about the history of the archipelago called ‘Timor Journey East’.