The Secret Lives of Colour

Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month for November 2018 'A dazzling and vibrant history of colour, from Van Gogh's wilting yellow sunflowers to Turner's deadly green and Picasso's darkest period' - The Mail on Sunday From its origins as a column in Elle Decoration, Kassia St Clair presents a dazzling catalogue of the hues that have shaped our planet. The Secret Lives of Colour peels back the hidden history of some 75 pigments and reveals their mesmeric relationship to our culture, from the origins of silver being the substance of choice for our tableware to Isaac Newton’s surprisingly arbitrary definition of the spectrum to entertain his own theories. Originally available as a much-sought after hardback edition, this paperback version captures all the colourful essence of the original and can be read either as an enthralling narrative journey or something to dip into for inspiration and sometimes surprising intrigue. St Clair also reveals similar hidden dimensions to the history of fabric in her equally stunning new title, The Golden Thread.