Spice Island Forts

Priceless nutmeg and cloves were for millennia only found on a scattering of active volcanos rearing up from equatorial seas at the far edge of the world; the Spice Islands of today’s Indonesia.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to put them on the world map in 1512. To warn off the Spanish, they soon built the first Spice Islands fort. The profits were immense for whoever controlled these Spiceries, and a century of conflict and fort building followed as local sultanates, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the Dutch and the English all fought for supremacy. The Spice Islands hold one of the greatest concentrations of colonial forts anywhere in the world.

Now the guns are silent, the galleons long sailed away. Many forts are ruined or lost forever. But across the spectacular islands, still thick with the scent of spices, many old ramparts and bastions remain as testament to an historic era of conflict.

Spice Islands Forts tells the story of these forgotten colonial outposts for the first time, and includes over 200 stunning photographs, historic maps and contemporary artwork, as well as a catalogue and useful tips for adventurous travellers.

Review from Giles Milton:

“A sweeping history of the Spice Islands and their forts, this superbly researched book is filled with exhilarating tales of battles, conflict and carnage as the major European powers fought for control of these fabled islands.

Many of the fortifications they constructed have subsequently crumbled back into the jungle and now are lost to history. But some have survived and have an extraordinary story to tell, as Simon Pratt reveals in this masterful and detailed illustrated account. The forts he describes are the last remaining witnesses to a history that is all but forgotten.

Spice Island Forts is an essential read for anyone interested in exploration, the golden Age of Discovery, and the struggle between the European powers for control of some of the remotest and most beautiful – but dangerous – islands in the world.”

Giles Milton, bestselling author of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg.