Perfect Red, A: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire - Softcover

Greenfield, Amy Butler

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2020

Synopsis

In the sixteenth century, one of the world's most precious commodities was cochineal, a legendary red dye treasured by the ancient Mexicans and sold in the great Aztec marketplaces, where it attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors. Shipped to Europe, the dye created a sensation, producing the brightest, strongest red the world had ever seen. Soon Spain's cochineal monopoly was worth a fortune. As the English, French, Dutch, and other Europeans joined the chase for cochineal -- a chase that lasted for more than three centuries -- a tale of pirates, explorers, alchemists, scientists, and spies unfolds. A Perfect Red evokes with style and verve this history of a grand obsession, of intrigue, empire, and adventure in pursuit of the most desirable color on earth.

About this title

Review:

"Greenfield does what the best historical authors do--follows the thread of a story through history without missing a stitch."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Fascinating...Greenfield has given us a superbly researched history of cochineal red, full of angles and tangents, curiosities and arcana."--Diane Ackerman, Washington Post Book World

"A fascinating story of greed and subterfuge, mixing fashion, folly and ingenuity in equal measure... Written with style and verve."--J. H. Elliott, University of Oxford

"A gem of accessible history."--San Diego Union-Tribune

"Delightful, rollicking history . . . A fun read, well-supported by extensive research."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A marvelous book... Meticulously researched, this saga will enchant lovers of historical mysteries, fascinating characters, and world economics."--Mark Pendergrast, author of UNCOMMON GROUNDS and MIRROR MIRROR

"With A PERFECT RED, she does for [red] what Mark Kurlansky in SALT did for that common commodity."--Houston Chronicle

"[An] intricate history...Greenfield paints a broad historical panorama, never neglecting the intimate, eccentric, and often absurd human details."--Boston Globe

About the Author:

Amy Butler Greenfield's grandfather and great-grandfather were dyers, and she has long been fascinated by the history of color. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in the Adirondacks and graduated from Williams College. As a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, she studied imperial Spain and Renaissance Europe. She now lives with her husband near Boston.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 0060522763
• ISBN 13: 9780060522766
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 354