Items related to Perfect Red, A: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for...

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

 
9780060522766: Perfect Red, A: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of 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 title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHarper Perennial
  • Publication date2020
  • ISBN 10 0060522763
  • ISBN 13 9780060522766
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages354
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780060522759: A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, And The Quest For The Color Of Desire

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780060522759
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Soft cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book(s)
(Buffalo, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire (Paperback) 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. ISBN: 9780060522766 Condition: Brand New, publisher overstock. Never read. Overstock book may have a small dot or line on the edge of the book. Free shipping with USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # ABE-1675042929991

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.41
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Soft Cover Quantity: 10
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780060522766

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.98
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial 4/25/2006 (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Paperback or Softback Quantity: 5
Seller:
BargainBookStores
(Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire 0.61. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780060522766

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.59
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lakeside Books
(Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're not a giant, faceless warehouse organization! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from Lakeside Books!. Seller Inventory # OTF-Y-9780060522766

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 9.56
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Collins Publishers (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
INDOO
(Avenel, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 0060522763

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 10.94
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Softcover Quantity: 5
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 4014618-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 12.10
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 2.09
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # 0060522763

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 14.58
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0060522763xvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 14.69
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Greenfield, Amy Butler
Published by Harper Perennial (2006)
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lucky's Textbooks
(Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580001538

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 11.77
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.16
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Amy Butler Greenfield
ISBN 10: 0060522763 ISBN 13: 9780060522766
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "You'll finish [Greenfield's] book with new respect for color, especially for red. With A Perfect Red, she does for it what Mark Kurlansky in Salt did for that common commodity."--Houston ChronicleInterweaving mystery, empire, and adventure, Amy Butler Greenfield's masterful popular history offers a window onto a world far different from our own: a world in which the color red was rare and precious--a source of wealth and power for those who could unlock its secrets. And in this world nothing was more prized than cochineal, a red dye that produced the brightest, strongest red the Old World had ever seen.A Perfect Red recounts the story of this legendary red dye, from its cultivation by the ancient Mexicans and discovery by 16th-century Spanish conquistadors to the European pirates, explorers, alchemists, scientists, and spies who joined in the chase to unlock its secrets, a chase that lasted more than three centuries. It 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. This colorful account is a richly researched, dramatic, enthralling look thatportrays the color red as a driving force in history and empire since ancienttimes. 8-page color insert. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780060522766

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
£ 16.31
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book