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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 667.2 EAN: 9780810928725 ISBN: 0810928728 Label: Harry N. Abrams Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 160 Publication Date: November 01, 2000 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams Studio: Harry N. Abrams Related Items:
Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: In our overstimulated, color-saturated society it is easy to forget the impact of color in the dull world before cheap dyes and plastics. Colors is a delightful little book, highly illustrated and packed with intriguing information. It traces the history of dyes and pigments from cave paintings to modern textiles. The book's four sections cover the uses of color in ancient times; its development and refinement in the Middle Ages; the explosion of supply and demand after the Renaissance; and the triumph of industrial chemistry in synthesizing and inventing colors. Production processes often paralleled those of alchemy, giving an almost magical quality to colors. Dyes were expensive in medieval Europe and could increase the price of a cloth tenfold; thus color was used to indicate social status, with aristocrats in bright robes standing out against the drab mob. Since antiquity, writers have compiled technical manuals on dyeing and pigment manufacture, often using more ancient texts, so that a great many antique recipes and techniques have been preserved. We learn, for example, how Indian yellow was made from a concentrated extract of the urine of cows fed exclusively on mango leaves (which was not healthy for the cows). Every page of the book has interesting tidbits of information, such as the derivation of blue jeans (from bleu de Genes, Genoa blue, a form of indigo). Clearly written and well-designed, Colors reminds us of the powerful ways color permeates our lives. --John Stevenson Product Description: From the painted caves at Lascaux, 40,000 years old, to the medieval cloth industry to today's computerized chemistry, this engaging book surveys the history of dyes and pigments-in a work as rich, varied, and colorful as a box of crayons. 160 illustrations, 135 in full color, Average Rating:
 Rating:  - When colors are boringI was so looking forward to receiving this book that when it arrived I immediately started to read. What a disappointment. It was full of fairly useless information and not at all entertaining or a joy to read which I'd expected it to be. I've given it a rating of 2 but had to think long and hard to even go that high. Rating:  - A LOT of information packed into a deceptively small package._Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments_, is an excellent little book to read if you are interested in colors. It covers pre-history up through the modern era, and it discusses some of the chemistry, much of the mineralogy, and a lot of the economics & politics that went into the use of different dyes & pigments through the eons. It is also lavishly illustrated, with many many photos, including photos of famous works of art, close-up photos showing artistic techniques, photos of artists' ... Read More Rating: - A treasure chest of interesting triviaI am a Color Manager for one of the worlds largest paint companies and even though I have been working with pigments for 15 years I have found this book to be a treasure chest of interesting trivia that I didn't know or had long forgotten. But this book is not just for chemists. If you are like me interested in art, especially paintings, you will find that this book gives you a wealth of information and facts that one can use to better understand the development of art through the centuries. I ... Read More 
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