Overview

"""Overflowing with surprises.""—William Dalrymple, The Spectator ""Essential reading.""—Dan Jones, Times (UK) ""Fascinating and authoritative.""—Jerry Brotton The unlikely beginnings of the East India Company—from Tudor origins and rivalry with the superior Dutch—to laying the groundwork for future British expansion The East India Company was the largest commercial enterprise in British history, yet its roots in Tudor England are often overlooked. The Tudor revolution in commerce led ambitious merchants to search for new forms of investment, not least in risky overseas enterprises—and for these ""adventurers"" the most profitable bet of all would be on the Company. Through a host of stories and fascinating details, David Howarth brings to life the Company's way of doing business—from the leaky ships and petty seafarers of its embattled early days to later sweeping commercial success. While the Company's efforts met with disappointment in Japan, they sowed the seeds of success in India, setting the outline for what would later become the Raj. Drawing on an abundance of sources, Howarth shows how competition from European powers was vital to success—and considers whether the Company was truly ""English"" at all, or rather part of a Europe-wide movement."

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Reviews

“Howarth tells some hair-raising tales from the maiden voyage of the Company ship Peppercorn. . . . Packed with tales, as well as gruesome accounts of clashes between rival traders in the east.”—Dan Jones, Times (UK)   “Adventurers is essential reading.”—Dan Jones, Times (UK) “[Adventurers] details the early years of what would become the world’s biggest corporation…By no means a defence of the empire, this dizzying work makes its emergence all the more remarkable.”—Daniel Brooks, Sunday Telegraph “The writer can glide from Jahangir’s memoirs and Mughal miniatures to the gossipy asides of Spanish spies, the travel tales of Richard Hakluyt and Samuel Purchas, the letters and journals of Roe.”—David Arnold, Times Literary Supplement “Howarth’s study [is] quite different from its rivals, and overflowing with surprises.”—William Dalrymple, The Spectator “This is a book [Howarth] has wanted to write for 50 years. . . . The frequent exuberance of his prose echo[es] the voices of larger-than-life venturers and seafarers who fill his pages.”—Alan Mallinson, Country Life “Adventurers is an important counterpoint to received knowledge of Anglo-Indian history, and the foundations of what was perhaps the world’s first and most controversial corporation.”—Lubaaba Al-Azami, BBC History Magazine “Howarth’s book is a joy of revelation, page by page. . . . Beautifully written.”—Robert Lyman, The Critic “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there might be a further volume. . . . Perhaps Howarth, like those first Adventurers, will have the right amount of intrepid bravery and insanity to attempt it.”—Debbie Kilroy, Get History “Drawing on an abundance of sources . . . indicative of deep research and of scholarship. . . . Howarth brings to life the Company’s way of doing business.“—Seagull: Journal of the Indian Maritime Foundation “This is a fascinating book, rich in texture, beautifully written, and covering a broad sweep of history. Strongly recommended.”—Richard Morgan, Chowkidar: The BACSA Journal “The history of the East India Company is so often read backwards. This wonderfully well-written book restores its early development to its true context—it is, like cold water in a desert, the picture for which we’ve gasped.”—James Evans, author of Merchant Adventurers “Fascinating and authoritative. David Howarth weaves a rich and rewarding tapestry of the uncertain, often chaotic development of the company, moving with style from London to Southeast Asia, and amassing a colourful cast list of princes, merchants and politicians. Adventurers will become the standard book on the subject, and deservedly so.”—Jerry Brotton, author of This Orient Isle “Howarth’s keen eye for intrigue weaves together a tale of commercial competition and imperial ambition that carries us from the Tudor court to the coasts of Japan. Adventurers is a quick-paced romp through the chaotic early history of Britain’s most infamous corporation.”—Edmond Smith, author of Merchants “Pragmatic, ruthless, and chaotic in turn, the early English East India Company is revealed in all its baroque extravagances in this superb and necessary new history.”—Nandini Das, author of Courting India

"""Howarth tells some hair-raising tales from the maiden voyage of the Company ship Peppercorn. . . . Packed with tales, as well as gruesome accounts of clashes between rival traders in the east.""--Dan Jones, Times (UK) ""Adventurers is essential reading.""--Dan Jones, Times (UK) ""[Adventurers] details the early years of what would become the world's biggest corporation...By no means a defence of the empire, this dizzying work makes its emergence all the more remarkable.""--Daniel Brooks, Sunday Telegraph ""Howarth's study [is] quite different from its rivals, and overflowing with surprises.""--William Dalrymple, The Spectator ""The history of the East India Company is so often read backwards. This wonderfully well-written book restores its early development to its true context--it is, like cold water in a desert, the picture for which we've gasped.""--James Evans, author of Merchant Adventurers ""Fascinating and authoritative. David Howarth weaves a rich and rewarding tapestry of the uncertain, often chaotic development of the company, moving with style from London to Southeast Asia, and amassing a colourful cast list of princes, merchants and politicians. Adventurers will become the standard book on the subject, and deservedly so.""--Jerry Brotton, author of This Orient Isle ""Howarth's keen eye for intrigue weaves together a tale of commercial competition and imperial ambition that carries us from the Tudor court to the coasts of Japan. Adventurers is a quick-paced romp through the chaotic early history of Britain's most infamous corporation.""--Edmond Smith, author of Merchants"

"“Howarth tells some hair-raising tales from the maiden voyage of the Company ship Peppercorn. . . . Packed with tales, as well as gruesome accounts of clashes between rival traders in the east.”—Dan Jones, Times (UK)   “Adventurers is essential reading.”—Dan Jones, Times (UK) “[Adventurers] details the early years of what would become the world’s biggest corporation…By no means a defence of the empire, this dizzying work makes its emergence all the more remarkable.”—Daniel Brooks, Sunday Telegraph “Howarth’s study [is] quite different from its rivals, and overflowing with surprises.”—William Dalrymple, The Spectator “This is a book [Howarth] has wanted to write for 50 years. . . . The frequent exuberance of his prose echo[es] the voices of larger-than-life venturers and seafarers who fill his pages.”—Alan Mallinson, Country Life “Adventurers is an important counterpoint to received knowledge of Anglo-Indian history, and the foundations of what was perhaps the world’s first and most controversial corporation.”—Lubaaba Al-Azami, BBC History Magazine “Howarth’s book is a joy of revelation, page by page. . . . Beautifully written.”—Robert Lyman, The Critic “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there might be a further volume. . . . Perhaps Howarth, like those first Adventurers, will have the right amount of intrepid bravery and insanity to attempt it.”—Debbie Kilroy, Get History “Drawing on an abundance of sources . . . indicative of deep research and of scholarship. . . . Howarth brings to life the Company’s way of doing business.“—Seagull: Journal of the Indian Maritime Foundation ""This is a fascinating book, rich in texture, beautifully written, and covering a broad sweep of history. Strongly recommended.”—Richard Morgan, Chowkidar: The BACSA Journal   “The history of the East India Company is so often read backwards. This wonderfully well-written book restores its early development to its true context—it is, like cold water in a desert, the picture for which we’ve gasped.”—James Evans, author of Merchant Adventurers “Fascinating and authoritative. David Howarth weaves a rich and rewarding tapestry of the uncertain, often chaotic development of the company, moving with style from London to Southeast Asia, and amassing a colourful cast list of princes, merchants and politicians. Adventurers will become the standard book on the subject, and deservedly so.”—Jerry Brotton, author of This Orient Isle “Howarth’s keen eye for intrigue weaves together a tale of commercial competition and imperial ambition that carries us from the Tudor court to the coasts of Japan. Adventurers is a quick-paced romp through the chaotic early history of Britain’s most infamous corporation.”—Edmond Smith, author of Merchants “Pragmatic, ruthless, and chaotic in turn, the early English East India Company is revealed in all its baroque extravagances in this superb and necessary new history.”—Nandini Das, author of Courting India    "

Author Information

David Howarth is emeritus professor at Edinburgh University. He is the author of Lord Arundel and His Circle, Images of Rule, and The Invention of Spain, and editor of Art and Patronage in the Caroline Courts.

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