Title: Curiosity, Adventure Travel, Exploration, Trade, War, Murder: The European Expansion, 15th to 20th Century
Author: James B. Read
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 978-1539496366
Pages: 239
Genre: History & Travelogues
Reviewer: Subhrajit Saha
Hollywood Book Reviews
Characters like Tintin by the Belgian comic strip artist Herge, or Sinbad the Sailor from ‘The Arabian Nights’ are an integral part of our childhood days. We got introduced to the thrill, the urge for doing something adventurous by reading these fictions. On the other hand, while we grew up, we learned about the path breaking expeditions initiated by explorers like Marco Polo, Vasco Da Gama, Amerigo Vespucci, etc. Now just imagine about a book where rather than just an introduction to those real-life globetrotters, you will get to know about the detailed journey from the beginning to end with the narrations like ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ or ‘The Arabian Nights’, then how would you react to that? Yes, author and amateur marine historian James B. Read’s book Curiosity, Adventure Travel, Exploration, Trade, War, Murder: The European Expansion, 15th to 20th Century made that unimaginable thing real.
The book is actually divided into parts. In the initial half the author jotted the facts rigorously, covering almost a thorough history of navigation and politics around seven centuries. The other half is about James B. Read’s diary narrating how he tried to get in touch with places containing great historical and cultural values. The timeline of the book starts from the later half of the 13th century where Marco Polo began his first voyage. A curious teen left his cocoon for a seven-thousand-mile odyssey to Peking, to meet the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. In his lifespan Marco Polo led expeditions in places like China, Burma, India, Ceylon, Malaya, Vietnam, and so on. Torchbearers in the history of navigation like Henrique O Infante aka Prince Henry of Portugal, Bartolomeu Dias, Da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Magellan and many others’ expedition illustrated with full of facts as well as narrated in a very engaging way by the author.
Along with the history of navigation the first half of the book sneak-peaks about the political, cultural, and religious situation of those times. Da Gama, receiving a sour welcome from the Muslims who were not wishing to deal with Christians, even refusing them water. On the other hand, in Hindu port Malindi, da Gama encountered a king who used to consider the Muslim sultans his enemies and provided them food, water, even a pilot. That gives a clear glimpse of the socio-religious scenario of that time. In addition to that, the title provides information from Portuguese, to Dutch, French, mighty Britishers, and others invading places all over the world and ruling one after another. Starting from the duel regarding British crown, to their religious conflict, Napoleon’s tragedy, fearsome Dutch Navy, East India company’s becoming the ruler of India from just a business organization, journey of World Wars, India Pakistan conflicts, Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombing and many more things has been covered in B, Read’s narration. In the second half of his book the author tried to narrate how he covered the places he mentioned earlier which are very significant to world history. The later half of the book more or less seems like a traveler’s diary, where he covers places like Munich, Amsterdam, Goa, Venice, Darwin, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, etc.
If you are a born explorer and a history geek then this title, Curiosity, Adventure Travel, Exploration, Trade, War, Murder: The European Expansion, 15th to 20th Century is indeed a must-read book for you. Thousands of facts of information and in-depth factual expedition the book never fails to amaze any reader. Overall, James B. Read’s book is inspiring, educational yet magical, rigorous yet adventurous. Essential reading for students of global history, colonialism, and modern geopolitics.