A tale of the struggle between Venice and Portugal to gain control of the all-sea route to the spices of India and the Far East. The scene is laid in Lisbon, at the end of the fifteenth century. We are haunted with pictures of the young Magellan with his burning eyes, Vasco da Gama, Bartholomew Diaz, and the amazing character of Abel Zakuto, the Jewish Banker and inventor of navigation instruments, in whose workshop in Lisbon are laid all the plans for the first trip. The sudden and dramatic appearance of a beautiful and mysterious Arab girl, Nejmi, turns the whole plot and leads to the eventual discovery of the Way of the Spices. This incident of the Arab girl is based upon a real happening in Beyrout, Syria.

The story is told brilliantly, vividly, and with a rare atmosphere of the time. This is excellent historical fiction, for older boys and girls, about a period in history of which there is little written. Lynd Ward has done arresting decorations.

From the dust jacket