{"product_id":"a-perfect-red-empire-espionage-and-the-quest-for-the-color-of-desire-isbn-9780060522766","title":"A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“You’ll finish [Greenfield’s] book with new respect for color, especially for red. With \u003cem\u003eA Perfect Red\u003c\/em\u003e, she does for it what Mark Kurlansky in\u003cem\u003e Salt\u003c\/em\u003e did for that common commodity.”—\u003cem\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterweaving 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Perfect Red\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eIn 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. \u003cem\u003eA Perfect Red\u003c\/em\u003e 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. \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A fascinating story of greed and subterfuge, mixing fashion, folly and ingenuity in equal measure... Written with style and verve.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJ. H. Elliott, University of Oxford\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A marvelous book... Meticulously researched, this saga will enchant lovers of historical mysteries, fascinating characters, and world economics.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMark Pendergrast, author of UNCOMMON GROUNDS and MIRROR MIRROR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With A PERFECT RED, she does for [red] what Mark Kurlansky in SALT did for that common commodity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[An] intricate history...Greenfield paints a broad historical panorama, never neglecting the intimate, eccentric, and often absurd human details.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Greenfield does what the best historical authors do--follows the thread of a story through history without missing a stitch.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating...Greenfield has given us a superbly researched history of cochineal red, full of angles and tangents, curiosities and arcana.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDiane Ackerman, Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A superbly researched history . . . full of angles and tangents, curiosities and arcana.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDiane Ackerman, Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pirates! Kings! Beautiful ladies! Daring spies! . . . Greenfield combines the investigative prowess of a detective with the intellectual reasoning of an academician to create an eminently entertaining and educational read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A gem of accessible history.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Diego Union-Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A fascinating and largely unknown story of greed and subterfuge, mixing fashion, folly and ingenuity in equal measure…Written with style and verve…A Perfect Red is a book that should not be missed.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eProfessor Sir John Elliott, Oxford\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful, rollicking history . . . A fun read, well-supported by extensive research.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44887578771685,"sku":"NP9780060522766","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060522766.jpg?v=1730227000","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/a-perfect-red-empire-espionage-and-the-quest-for-the-color-of-desire-isbn-9780060522766","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}