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boomsplode_kat's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Non-fiction. Account of William Perkin's life and how he has mostly been forgotten. Book came out 24 years ago!
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the topic. Many other reviews touched on the book’s organization. The second third of the book really seems to be an add on. I think the book should have started with an overview, connecting the various uses for Perkin’s techniques. It would have helped keep the connection between uses and technique.
I did learn quite a lot about dyes and the color industry and also the various business struggles between Britain and Germany.
I did learn quite a lot about dyes and the color industry and also the various business struggles between Britain and Germany.
scheu's review against another edition
4.0
Quite interesting despite bogging down considerably in the middle. Mauve - it's a dye! it's a dessert topping! it helped fight tropical diseases!
and more!
and more!
kerrygibbons's review against another edition
2.0
For such an interesting topic, this is such an uninteresting book! It lacks any sense of character. The author seems most intent on writing a biography but the book wants to be a nonfiction about dye and its derivatives.
janiev's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting topic. It was a bit heavy on the chemistry side, I am sure it meant more to someone well versed in chemistry, but my with my limited knowledge in the subject I felt lost. I would have love to see more pictures of the variations on colors and more info on the colors themselves.
nellsmith's review against another edition
Really interesting story of how one discovery changed the landscape of dyeing and textiles. My research is about natural pigments though, so I got a bit sidetracked and it was an ebook from the library that I forgot to renew so I didn’t get to finish it.
siobhanward's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
If you enjoy reading about incredibly niche (but important) topics in science, then this is a book for you! Who knew that one colour was so central to scientific progress in the 19th and 20th centuries? This was a fun read but I definitely know I like niche subjects (including colours - The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair was another fun read), so I had fun.
I appreciated that Garfield was able to communicate the impact of Perkin's work without getting too deep into the chemistry of it. As someone with zero knowledge of chemistry I've definitely read books that were just too hard to follow, and I'm glad this wasn't one. My only real grief with the book was that there were definitely times when the timeline moved around and it was hard to follow exactly what was happening when. It was however really cool to read about early progress in DNA vaccines - considering some of what they were working on is starting to advance significantly with the creation of RNA vaccines. Wild how much progress science can make in a couple decades!
I appreciated that Garfield was able to communicate the impact of Perkin's work without getting too deep into the chemistry of it. As someone with zero knowledge of chemistry I've definitely read books that were just too hard to follow, and I'm glad this wasn't one. My only real grief with the book was that there were definitely times when the timeline moved around and it was hard to follow exactly what was happening when. It was however really cool to read about early progress in DNA vaccines - considering some of what they were working on is starting to advance significantly with the creation of RNA vaccines. Wild how much progress science can make in a couple decades!