Indigo: In Search of the Color That Seduced the World

For almost five millennia, in every culture and in every major

religion, indigo-a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a

parasitic shrub through a complex process that even scientists still

regard as mysterious-has been at the center of turbulent human

encounters. Indigo is the story of this precious dye and

its ancient heritage: its relationship to slavery as the "hidden half"

of the transatlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and

its spiritual significance, which is little recognized but no less

alive today. It is an untold story, brimming with rich, electrifying

tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and a world

economy. But Indigo is also the story of a personal quest:

Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo

tartan as their virile armor; the kin of several generations of Jewish

"rag traders"; the maternal granddaughter of a Massachusetts textile

factory owner; and the paternal granddaughter of African slaves-her

ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a

length of blue cotton could purchase human life. McKinley's journey in

search of beauty and her own history ultimately leads her to a new and

satisfying path, to finally "taste life." With its four-color photo

insert and sumptuous design, Indigo will be as irresistible to look at as it is to read.

© 2011 Bloomsbury USA (E-bog): 9781608195893

Udgivelsesdato

E-bog: 24. maj 2011