Author Description

In the 17th and 18th century the Dutch East India Company was the world's largest trading and shipping company with a fleet of over one hundred ships, thousands of employees, some thirty settlements in Asia and six divisions in the Dutch Republic, each of which had its own offices, warehouses and shipyards. In Pursuit of Pepper and Tea recounts the history of this multinational enterprise from its founding in 1602 until its dissolution in 1799. The voyage of an East Indiaman serves as the common thread running through the story, which is arranged around eight themes: the organization of the Company, shipbuilding, the master and his crew, the cash and commodities from Europe, the route to Asia, the settlements in Asia, the Asian products and the return fleet.