A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire Author: Amy Butler Greenfield 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. Amy Butler Greenfield was a history grad student when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then she's become an award-winning author. Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, plots mischief, and bakes double-dark-chocolate cake. You can find her at www.amybutlergreenfield.com. Product Details Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 25, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0060522763 ISBN-13: 9780060522766 Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8 inches Related Items Dyeing Supplies
