Colors of Asia: A Visual Journey
By (Author) Kevin Kelly
Cool Tools
Cool Tools
15th April 2026
United States
Non Fiction
Miscellanies and compendia
Photography and photographs
Decorative arts
Hardback
142
Width 188mm, Height 245mm
This compact visual journey through Asia is unique and unusual. It explores all 35 countries in Asia between Turkey and Japan by following 16 colors! The myriad images in this book are delightfully arranged by color. The meaning that each color has in Asia is explained with a short essay and then illustrated with hundreds of examples from traditional and ceremonial use. Forget postcard cliches, the images in this book depict rarely seen rituals, and disappearing traditions in remote tribal locations throughout Asia. Following the colors is an offbeat way to look at other cultures, and a delightful way to visit this very diverse continent where half of humanity lives. It is full of amazing costumes, and astounding architecture, and bizarre ceremonies, as well as extraordinary everyday artifacts all unexpectedly arranged by color! It is hard to page through it without a smile.
Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired, an award-winning magazine he co-founded Wired in 1993. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking. He is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which reviewed tools daily for more than 20 years. He is also the author of multiple best-selling books about the future of technology. He is best known for his radical optimism. Before taking up the consequences of technology, Kelly was a nomadic photojournalist. For most of the 1970s he was a photographer in remote parts of Asia, publishing his photographs in national magazines. His photographs have appeared in LIFE and other national magazines. Kelly resides in Pacifica, CA.