Ian Burnet grew up in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia and graduated with a degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Melbourne. He first went to work in Indonesia in 1968 as a young geologist and became fascinated by the diverse cultures and rich history of the archipelago. He has spent thirty years, living, working and travelling in Indonesia. Cloves and nutmeg originally only grew on a few tiny islands in Eastern Indonesia. Ian thought the story of the islands of Ternate and Tidore, and their effect on world history had to be told. After ten years researching and writing this story, it became the book Spice Islands which tells the history, romance and adventure of the spice trade over 2000 years. Spice Islands has received critical acclaim and been described as - "a wonderful book- a triumph of passion and scholarship".