"A fascinating story of greed and subterfuge, mixing fashion, folly and ingenuity in equal measure. Written with style and verve." - J. H. Elliott, University of Oxford "A marvelous book. Meticulously researched, this saga will enchant lovers of historical mysteries, fascinating characters, and world economics." - Mark Pendergrast, author of UNCOMMON GROUNDS and MIRROR MIRROR "With A PERFECT RED, she does for [red] what Mark Kurlansky in SALT did for that common commodity." - Houston Chronicle "[An] intricate history.

Greenfield paints a broad historical panorama, never neglecting the intimate, eccentric, and often absurd human details." - Boston Globe "Greenfield does what the best historical authors do--follows the thread of a story through history without missing a stitch." - Cleveland Plain Dealer "Fascinating.Greenfield has given us a superbly researched history of cochineal red, full of angles and tangents, curiosities and arcana." - Diane Ackerman, Washington Post Book World "A superbly researched history . full of angles and tangents, curiosities and arcana." - Diane Ackerman, Washington Post Book World "Pirates! Kings! Beautiful ladies! Daring spies! . Greenfield combines the investigative prowess of a detective with the intellectual reasoning of an academician to create an eminently entertaining and educational read.

" - Booklist "A gem of accessible history." - San Diego Union-Tribune "A fascinating and largely unknown story of greed and subterfuge, mixing fashion, folly and ingenuity in equal measure.Written with style and verve.A Perfect Red is a book that should not be missed." - Professor Sir John Elliott, Oxford "Delightful, rollicking history . A fun read, well-supported by extensive research." - Los Angeles Times Book Review.