A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire

“A Perfect Red” by Amy Butler Greenfield is an interesting and well-written history of the color red and, especially, of cochineal. Cochineal is tiny insect found, initially, living on cactus in southern Mexico, When collected, crushed, and processed it yields a bright red dye. Historically, painters and cloth dyers had not found an affordable, durable, bright red dye. After the discovery of cochineal by European conquistadores in the 1700s, it became internationally popular and big business. Difficult to produce, it became important for Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, and the Canary Islands. After many years, it was displaced by synthetic chemical red dyes. The book also relates changing tastes in clothing colors over the years in different cultures.

This book was required reading for a class about the history of fashion, and I must say that it was one of the most informative and entertaining books of the semester! I was pleasantly surprised by both the depth of research which Butler conducted in order to write the book and by her fluid and effortless style. Even though it is not a particularly brief work, it only took two days to read, and due to its engaging nature those days few by. As mentioned in another review, it is refreshing to see such extensive notes and such a detailed bibliography in a book of this nature, as most popular history books have sacrificed sources for academics in order to placate stingy publishers, but writing papers from this source was effortless.I must also compliment the illustrations in the center, which are printed brilliantly and on good quality paper - I only wish that there were more! This book is a worthwhile investment and a great addition to the libraries of individuals interested in the history of color and Early Modern Europe. My only grievance is that I wished that Butler had dealt more with the history of red in other periods, and not just with the cochineal trade. Know that this is primarily a history of cochineal (a pigment which produces a particularly potent red dye), and not of the color red in general.

This book was chosen during the pandemic of 2020 as a connect with my friend. We read one chapter per week. She is more scientific than I so the perspective was quite different. I appreciated the historical perspective but floundered with the names and the non-linear approach.

This was a thoroughly fascinating book, and incredibly well researched. (Check the nearly endless bibliography at the back of the book if you have any doubt!)In a nutshell, color, particularly in textiles, was rare and valuable until the early parts of the last century. Amazing that what we now take for granted was beyond our great-great grandparents wildest imaginations. The masses dressed in dull vegetable dyes of beige, muddy yellows, and greys. Only the wealthiest could afford brilliant colors, and wearing it was the ideal way to flaunt their wealth and status.This book takes us from the discovery in "New Spain" (Mexico) of cochineal, a crushed insect dye which yielded a never before seen brilliant red color. Spain built an empire on cochineal, and went through great lengths to keep the origin of the dye a secret. Ms. Greenfield explores the far reaching effects of cochineal on history: empire building, piracy, espionage, scientific advancements (and infighting), the connotations of red through history, even exploring perceived racism and class distinctions based on lack of color, and later, when the tables turned, a surfeit of color.Who would have ever though that something as simple as "red" would inextricably tangle itself in history in such a way? Red. Red? Red!An excellent read for anyone with an interest in history, fashion, textiles, or science.

Beware Kindle Readers! This e-book, for which you will pay $3 more than the print edition and second day shipping for a Prime member, has none of the illustrations referred to in the text. The notes are unwieldy to operate and the complete lack of part of the book (yes, plates and figures referred to and marked by the author are actually part of the book) is extremely frustrating. For this price, I expected not only the plates but live links to them. Aside from this, do buy the actual book and read this. Fascinating breakdown of the cultural and social history surrounding the economics and aesthetics of Red and so much more.

Amy Butler Greenfield's first novel is terrific read. She has the perfect balance between scholarship and passion. Her grandfather and greatgrandfather were dyers and her love of the subject shows through the text. Unlike most texts, where one is left wondering "Where did the author find that?" The Perfect Red has a marvelous set of notes at the end of the book, allowing the reader to research any particular point of extreme interest.As to the writing itself. . . she either has an amazingly terse style or a marvelous ear for proofreading. My pet peeve is books that chat to the reader, requiring five pages to impart one page of knowledge. There is none of that here. Every sentence belongs, expanding the tale she weaves. In addition, her characters come alive. After I finished reading this book, I felt I garnered more than information, I also knew the people whose stories she told.Van Eyck's Portrait of a Man had always intrigued me. I taught Humanities and the students often asked "Why the red turbin?" Now I know.

Very readable, down to earth story - not the recitation if some boring doctoral thesis. The author has done a ton of research to make the flow interesting and enjoyable to read.

interesting, lots of relevant info by extension (historical events that caused the cochineal market to go up and down over the centuries), fortunes won and lost. the history of a fabric dye should not be this interesting. I guess you just chalk it up to the skill and research of this author.