The Secret Lives of Colour
(Paperback, Illustrated edition)
Available Formats
Paperback, Illustrated edition
Published: 11th September 2018
Hardback, Illustrated edition
Published: 25th October 2016
Publishing Details
The Secret Lives of Colour
By (Author) Kassia St Clair
John Murray Press
John Murray Publishers Ltd
11th September 2018
6th September 2018
Illustrated edition
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
306.09
Physical Properties
Paperback
336
Width 164mm, Height 197mm, Spine 26mm
542g
Description
'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer.'
Simon GarfieldTHE SECRET LIVES OF COLOUR tells the unusual stories of the 75 most 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 colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, THE SECRET LIVES OF COLOUR tell the vivid story of our culture.Reviews
A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer
- SIMON GARFIELDCharming - FINANCIAL TIMESFrom pink boys' clothes to blue warpaint; why orange spells danger and other colourful tales - DAILY TELEGRAPHInspiring, compelling and beautifully designed . . . this will appeal to anyone - LADYWell-researched and engaging - House & GardenAuthor Bio
Kassia St Clair studied the history of women's dress and the masquerade during the eighteenth century at Bristol and Oxford. She has since written about design and culture for the Economist, House & Garden, TLS, Quartz and New Statesman, and has had a column about colour in Elle Decoration since 2013. Her first book The Secret Lives of Colour was a top-ten bestseller, a Radio 4 Book of the Week and has been translated into over a dozen languages; her second, The Golden Thread, was a Sunday Times Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Somerset Maugham Award. She lives in London.
www.kassiastclair.com