Rarest Blue: The Remarkable Story Of An Ancient Color Lost To History And Rediscovered
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.29 (573 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0762782226 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-04-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Although Sterman tackles a broad range of topics, his emphasis on Jewish traditions and ancient practices keeps it centered and illuminating." . From Booklist "Sterman's expansive and fascinating microhistory covers the historical importance of the dye, the closely guarded manufacturing process, controversies over fraudulent versions of the color, the chemistry behind the dye molecule, the events leading to the rediscovery of the dye process, and even the physics explaining the rarity of the color in nature
Kathleen said Blue?. This was well written but veers off many times into historical facts that mad it difficult to see the connections to the color blue. This book is a lot more about the Jewish faith than the color blue.. "Science, Adventure, Religion, Mysteryall in one book!" according to Chaim PB White. The Rarest Blue covers the rediscovery of "tekhelet", an ancient sky-blue colorfast dye (a dye that chemically bonds to the fabric so it never fades). "Tzitzit," fringes tied on the corners of a four-cornered garment, are typically worn by observant Jews. In ancient days, they contained a single blue thread. But, after being outlawed by Romans (who wanted to reserve this rare dye for nobles), the art and source of the blue was lost. The dye has been described in ancient writings as coming from a snail, indistinguishable from. Dr. Jeffrey R. Woolf said A Truly Marvelous Read. This is, without a doubt, one of the most remarkable (and enjoyable) books that it has been my pleasure to read in the past few years. It really has everything: Breathtaking erudition, interesting odd facts, gorgeous pictures, moving personal narration, religious inspiration all beautifully integrated into a narrative in which any detective novelist would take pride. (This is not to mention that physically the book is physically beautiful, and a joy to hold in one's hand- which is not to discourage Kindle customers.)I strong
Huge fortunes were made from and lost to them, and battles were fought over control of the industry. But with the fall of the Roman Empire, the technique was lost to the ages. The Minoans discovered it; the Phoenicians stole the technique; Cleopatra adored it; and Jews—obeying a Biblical commandment to affix a single thread of the radiant color to the corner of their garments—risked their lives for it. The few who knew the dyes’ complex secrets carefully guarded the valuable knowledge. But what was the secret? At the same time, a Hasidic master obsessed with reviving the ancient tradition posited that the source wasn’t a snail at all but a squid. Bitter fighting ensued until another rabbi discovered that one of them was wrong—but had an unscrupulous chemist deliberately deceived him? Baruch Sterman brilliantly recounts the complete, amazing story of this sacred dye that changed the color of history.. The Rarest Blue tells the amazing story of tekhelet, or hyacinth blue, the elusive sky-blue dye mentioned 50 times in the Hebrew Bible. Then, in the nineteenth century, a marine biologist saw a fisherman smearing his shirt with snail guts, marveling as the yellow stains turned sky blue. For centuries, dyed fabrics