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ebraam's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating stories on the history of 100 different colours.
Each colour stands on it's own so easy to browse and pick stories at random.
Each colour stands on it's own so easy to browse and pick stories at random.
soaraus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
h_andreanne's review against another edition
Prêt retourné, mais je le poursuivrai à un autre moment!
nanceoir's review against another edition
5.0
So many interesting stories about colors. And the (I believe) first footnote led to a mind-boggling piece of history I didn't know about and would never have guessed!
ac_anemon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
1eea10u's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
A good book with lots of information in a very aesthetically pleasing format.
Each color has about 1-5 pages dedicated to it. Depending on your interests, some colors may be more interesting and fun to read compared to others. For example, Baker-Miller Pink would be for the psychology student. Tyrian purple for the history buff. Chrome Yellow for the art enthusiasts. Ultramarine for the chemistry fan. In short, there’s quite a few different audiences that can enjoy this book.
Due to its large swath of topics covered, it’s easier to recommend specific colors to read, versus the whole book.
I do NOT recommend this as an audiobook, or through a black and white e-reader. This is due to the fact that each page is printed with the color that is being discussed. The visual aid is great at helping immerse yourself in the history and story of the hues. Please obtain a physical copy of book for the best experience.
Each color has about 1-5 pages dedicated to it. Depending on your interests, some colors may be more interesting and fun to read compared to others. For example, Baker-Miller Pink would be for the psychology student. Tyrian purple for the history buff. Chrome Yellow for the art enthusiasts. Ultramarine for the chemistry fan. In short, there’s quite a few different audiences that can enjoy this book.
Due to its large swath of topics covered, it’s easier to recommend specific colors to read, versus the whole book.
I do NOT recommend this as an audiobook, or through a black and white e-reader. This is due to the fact that each page is printed with the color that is being discussed. The visual aid is great at helping immerse yourself in the history and story of the hues. Please obtain a physical copy of book for the best experience.
tophat8855's review against another edition
4.0
The format of this book lends itself to reading in small bites. If you want to read non-fiction, but in little bits, this is a good one for you.
Each section is a pigment and the author usually finds a couple historical stories around that pigment to share, often sharing how that pigment is made as well. The depth of the stories varied throughout the book and that inconsistency felt unsatisfying. I think you could probably go a lot deeper in many of these pigments but, perhaps for space, she did not.
It is interesting if you want some small blog-sized bits about colors. Lots of people died for fashion, I’ll tell you that.
Each section is a pigment and the author usually finds a couple historical stories around that pigment to share, often sharing how that pigment is made as well. The depth of the stories varied throughout the book and that inconsistency felt unsatisfying. I think you could probably go a lot deeper in many of these pigments but, perhaps for space, she did not.
It is interesting if you want some small blog-sized bits about colors. Lots of people died for fashion, I’ll tell you that.
amandasupak's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
3.5 stars
While there are lots of interesting little stories and tidbits, this book has a major flaw, but hear me out though! I listened to this on audiobook at first and was disappointed because each chapter is the name of a color (some of which I had never heard of before), and also the author mentions a lot of different kinds of pieces of art. So I figured I just needed to see the actual book so I picked up an ebook version to supplement my reading. While each chapter does show a block of color that each chapter is talking about, it fails to depict any of the colors it's talking about in the text and does now show any pictures of the art pieces it mentions frequently. It was frustrating to have to constantly stop and google what the author was talking about.
While there are lots of interesting little stories and tidbits, this book has a major flaw, but hear me out though! I listened to this on audiobook at first and was disappointed because each chapter is the name of a color (some of which I had never heard of before), and also the author mentions a lot of different kinds of pieces of art. So I figured I just needed to see the actual book so I picked up an ebook version to supplement my reading. While each chapter does show a block of color that each chapter is talking about, it fails to depict any of the colors it's talking about in the text and does now show any pictures of the art pieces it mentions frequently. It was frustrating to have to constantly stop and google what the author was talking about.
sawthisdidthat's review against another edition
3.0
Agree with @thefourthvine’s review. A bit dully written for such an *ahem* colorful subject.
http://ebookassets.penguinrandomhouse.com/ebookassets/features/secretlivesofcolor/Color_Index.pdf
http://ebookassets.penguinrandomhouse.com/ebookassets/features/secretlivesofcolor/Color_Index.pdf