A Perfect Red Audiobook By Amy Butler Greenfield cover art

A Perfect Red

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A Perfect Red

By: Amy Butler Greenfield
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
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A 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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2005 Amy Butler Greenfield (P)2014 Audible Inc. Art History & Criticism Latin America Mexico Imperialism

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second time through and now I need to find my cochineal to dye some yarn.

just as wonderful the second time

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Very interesting story, but longer than necessary. Last chapter is totally worthless!
Well read thought

Long

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This is a well researched, well written, and perfectly narrated history of the color red and of the first widely available red dye, Cochineal.

Very informative, the book includes the history of the relevant times, so as to be accessible even to those who might not be knowledgeable on kings and empires of the past centuries.

Mostly entertaining, except in a few boring places. Recommended if you're interested in the middle ages, the European conquest of the Americas, mysteries, espionage, and the actual PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

The narration is excellent, always clear, including great pronunciation of all the Spanish, French, and Italian names.

History of a peculiar substance through the ages

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