A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire
Amy Butler Greenfield, 2005
HarperCollins
352
ISBN-13: 9780060522766
Summary
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. (From the publisher.)