A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of DesireA Perfect Red recounts the colorful history of cochineal, a legendary red dye that was once one of the world's most precious commodities. Treasured by the ancient Mexicans, cochineal was sold in the great Aztec marketplaces, where it attracted the attention of the Spanish conquistadors in 1519. 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. Desperate to find their own sources of the elusive dye, the English, French, Dutch, and other Europeans tried to crack the enigma of cochineal. Did it come from a worm, a berry, a seed? Could it be stolen from Mexico and transplanted to their own colonies? Pirates, explorers, alchemists, scientists, and spies -- all joined the chase for cochineal, a chase that lasted more than three centuries. A Perfect Red tells their stories -- true-life tales of mystery, empire, and adventure, in pursuit of the most desirable color on earth. |
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LibraryThing Review
Nutzerbericht - JBD1 - LibraryThingA fascinating history of cochineal cultivation and use, including the various schools of thought on its origins during the period of Spanish monopoly. For a book of this type (popular history of commodity X), this is very well done indeed. Vollständige Rezension lesen
LibraryThing Review
Nutzerbericht - nbmars - LibraryThingThis book reminds me of an optical illusion that looks like one thing when you look at it one way, but looks like something totally different when viewed another way – think of the ubiquitous Escher ... Vollständige Rezension lesen
Inhalt
1 | |
The Color of the Sun | 18 |
The Emperors New Dye | 45 |
A Profitable Empire | 53 |
Trade Secrets | 102 |
Through the Looking Glass | 143 |
Andersons Incredible Folly | 183 |
Red and Revolution | 198 |
Cheap Color | 248 |
Notes | 263 |
Select Bibliography | 293 |
Acknowledgments | 319 |
Andere Ausgaben - Alle anzeigen
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire Amy Butler Greenfield Eingeschränkte Leseprobe - 2005 |
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage And The Quest For The Colour Of Desire Amy Butler Greenfield Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2011 |
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage and the Quest for the Colour of Desire Amy Butler Greenfield Keine Leseprobe verfügbar - 2006 |