Spice trees were the riches of the Indies–for they produced the wealth which lured men east. Daring Portuguese sailors opened the sea route to the Indies, but it was the determined Dutch merchants who made the voyage to the Spice Islands profitable.

In the days when food was bland and dull, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace became household status symbols. Bringing shiploads of spices back to Europe established The Netherlands as a great merchant nation and enabled this tiny country to break away from Spanish rule and establish a republic.

Following the career of Jan Coen, young readers will encounter angry local princes, battles with enemy fleets, and Coen's determined fight with tradition-bound masters to secure an island trading empire.

This challenging series will tap a long-neglected area of history and economics—adventures with a purpose. Here are exciting heroes and equally exciting stakes.

Old prints, paintings, and woodcuts—as well as drawings—make this trading story a visual discovery.

From the dust jacket