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A Perfect Red

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A Perfect Red

By: Amy Butler Greenfield
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
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About this listen

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.

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©2005 Amy Butler Greenfield (P)2014 Audible Inc. Art Ancient History France Pirate Imperialism
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Profile Image for Teresa Cooper

Red is still "the " colour.

The diverse and sometimes bloody history of true red, given to us by a very tiny beetle known as cochineal. The author takes the reader/listener on a history from cochineals discovery by the Spanish through attempts of other countries attempts to develop their own cochineal farms through the use of chemicals to create red back to the use,if somewhat limited, of the cochineal beetle. A good book well written, with a very few slow paced bits, well read with only minor pauses when pronouncing possibly unknown words. Would I read it again? Yes. Would I recommend the book? Yes I definitely would.

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