“This book is a history of the world's race to possess cochineal, an insect that, when dried, produces the most perfect red dye that the world had yet seen. I had never thought about this subject before, nor about the impact that color has had throughout the centuries, but it truly had layers upon layers of meaning, separating the aristocracy from the lower classes, separating streetwalkers from ladies... This story could have been dull and lifeless but was instead a fascinating historical read.”

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