Spice and the Devil's Cave

1931 Newbery Medal Nominee

Magellan, da Gama, and other 15th-century explorers spring to life in this Newbery-honored tale of the race between Portugal and the Venetian Republic to control the sea route to India.

Spice and the Devil's Cave is a fascinating adventure tale of the rivalry between Arab traders, the city-state of Venice, and of the struggling nation of Portugal to dominate the spice trade by finding a new sea route to India by going around the "Devil's Cave" -- the Cape of Good Hope. In Lisbon, the workshop of Abel Zakuto, a Jew, becomes the meeting place for Vasco da Gama, Bartholomeu Dias, and Ferdinand Magellan to discuss their plans to find this sea route. How the Jews furthered the work of discovery plays a significant part in the story.

Hailed by The New York Times as "a colorful history" and "a vivid drama."