The World According to Colour: A Cultural History

Having read Victoria Finlay's wonderful book on colour- the sources of pigments and dyes and their history ...I was expecting something in the same vein. Whilst the author touches on some of this, its more about perception and culture and equally fascinating. This is not a dry book...full of interest, anecdotes and a joyful celebration of colour in art.

This was a book chosen by one of my reading group. I really loved it and would recommend it to anyone interested in colour/pigments and the history behind them and their uses.

Have you ever wondered how the meaning of colours came about? How come we associate black with death or white with pureness? And how about blue and red and purple and yellow? James Fox tries to answer those exact questions. And in doing so, he takes us on a fascinating journey around the world but also in time, touching on so many subjects from history to literature to science and art.My favourite chapters were those full of colour: red, yellow, blue, purple, green. Fascinating and full of facts, I learn so much and even ended up chatting about them with my family. Black and white were less on my liking due mostly to the association with race and prejudice which I felt were slightly pushed (I cannot say I was convinced by the logic of certain association. Also the fact that the author says Europe(or white) but in fact he refers to Britain or Western Europe - a generalisation that really grates on my nerves!!!), I guess in a bid to tick the right boxes.My only regret upon finishing this book was that it was so brief. I wanted to read more, so much more. I hope it is going to be expanded at some point in the future, I would not hesitate to pick it up again if that happens!*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher!

I'm a huge fan of Dr Fox's televisual feasts: he brings art, science, culture, nature and history together in a most satisfying way. This book does the same and does so magnificently. For a colour addict and butterfly-brained dabbler - I spend my life being distracted by the thing that's more interesting or captivating than the other thing that caught my attention - The World According to Colour brings context to life. This will be a go-to reference forever. Can't wait for a follow-up!

How Mr. P could be bored in 10 minutes I have now idea? This book moved me from the first page. This sounds very pretentious, but it did. I am a lowly hairdresser, but I specialise in colouring. I am also very artistic in all areas of my life. Colour is more important to me than I can say and it effects my mood and imagination in ways that people who know me just don't get.From the very start of reading this book I felt, "someone understands how my brain works".I've put the book down, as it's very late at nigh, but I can't wait to wake & spend my Saturday reading it.HIGHLY recommend to anyone who works with or who is interested in colour, wonderful book. (My ex husband is colour blind and I could never understand how he saw the world.) FYI, Mr. P, the colour plates are secondary to the text in this instance.

Excellent read and thought provoking. Dr Fox knows his stuff!

There have been a lot of books about colour so I went in expecting to be bored. Pleased to report that that was not the case. This was a fascinating journey through colour that covers art, history, science and a tonne more. Also loved the pictures in the middle which are just beautiful

A beautifully written book.

This book is very comprehensive, well produced, and very good quality illustrations, paintings etc. Would definitely recommend it

The book reviews ideas about the colors in various fields – physics, chemistry, physiology, linguistics, history, and literature. Reading this book on the Kindle device is somewhat problematic since the colored plates cannot be seen.