"Every wonder why green was such a sparse color in medieval heraldry? Did you know there were taboos among dyers against mixing yellow and blue dyes to create green? Or why 'taupe' is even a color (thank the British)?
This book is a rainbow of information, full of history and folklore, tidbits about chemistry and botany, from ancient times to the recent past. A fascinating read, one you can pick at lazily as your curiosity guides you."
Publisher Penguin Books
Publication Date 2017-10-24
Section Art / All Staff Suggestions / Nonfiction Suggestions / Story B.
Format Hardcover
ISBN 9780143131144
One of USA Today's “100 Books to Read While Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Crisis”
A dazzling gift, the unforgettable, unknown history of colors and the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-colored volume.
“Beautifully written . . . Full of anecdotes and fascinating research, this elegant compendium has all the answers.” —NPR, Best Books of 2017
The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.
In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh’s chrome yellow sunflowers or punk’s fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture.
“This passionate and majestic compedium will leave you bathed in the gorgeous optics of light.” —Elle
