A01=Tim Severin
Author_Tim Severin
Bali
Category=DNBT
Category=WN
Category=WNJ
Category=WTL
Darwin
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_travel
evolution
expedition
Indonesia
Mollucas
paradise
sailing
Singapore
Sulawesi
Wallace
Product details
- ISBN 9781915310521
- Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
- Publication Date: 01 Apr 2026
- Publisher: Monsoon Books
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
In this remarkable blend of travelogue and historical investigation, Tim Severin sails a traditional Indonesian prahu to follow in the wake of Alfred Russel Wallace, the naturalist who co-developed the theory of evolution with Charles Darwin. Drawing on Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago as his guide, Severin journeys from the Aru Islands in eastern Indonesia, close to western Papua and northern Australia, to Sulawesi, visiting the Banda and Kei Islands in Indonesia’s Moluccas or Spice Islands and other remote shores still home to rare birds-of-paradise and bird-winged butterflies. Along the way, he documents rainforest destruction, thriving traditional communities and hopeful conservation efforts. Rich in adventure and insight, Spice Islands Voyage celebrates scientific curiosity, cultural encounters and the fragile beauty of Indonesia’s biodiversity.
Tim Severin (1940–2020) was an explorer and award-winning writer whose expeditions sought to test the truth behind legendary journeys. He famously sailed a leather boat across the Atlantic in the wake of St Brendan, captained an Arab dhow from Oman to China to follow the tales of Sindbad, voyaged in replicas of Bronze Age and classical ships to retrace the routes of Jason, the Argonauts and Ulysses, and rode on horseback with nomads in Mongolia in search of Genghis Khan’s legacy. He also followed the path of the first Crusader knights from Europe to the Holy Land, sailed the Pacific on a bamboo raft, uncovered the real-life inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, explored the origins of Moby-Dick among the whale hunters of the Pacific, and, in this book, traced Alfred Russel Wallace’s explorations in Indonesia.
Severin recorded these quests in a series of acclaimed books and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, as well as the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, The Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize and the Académie de la Marine’s literary medal.
Severin recorded these quests in a series of acclaimed books and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Livingstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, as well as the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, The Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize and the Académie de la Marine’s literary medal.
