The Secret Lives of Color *eBook
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 Read more
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Why Must Read The Secret Lives of Color?
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't expecting very much, but was surprised by the depth of research in each of the colors shown here. The information comes from art history, of course, but also includes military history (who knew Lord Mountbatten had a camouflage color named after him?); archaeology (Neolithic paintings with a description of the color palette used by stone age people) and chemistry (who knew that some of the chemical techniques to make colors were so complex or lengthy to complete?). Each page has the color placed on the edge, and an anecdotal description and history of each color or shade. Each description is a page and a half or more, but each one did the best thing that an author can do- make the reader want to find out more. The old description of good writing, that it is "for provocation rather than information", is accomplished here, since the reader is provoked to find out more. Recommended for larger libraries with reference sections; art libraries and collections; general humanities collections, and high school libraries. Not a good book for reading in one sitting, but it is a good travel book or one for reading with frequent interruptions (in short, a good bathroom book). I enjoyed it.
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