Description

‘Pure pleasure’
Independent

‘A rich read’
Evening Standard

‘A delight’
Sunday Telegraph

THE REMARKABLE STORY OF VICTORIA FINLAY’S QUEST TO UNCOVER THE MANY SECRETS HIDDEN INSIDE THE PAINTBOX.

On her travels she visited remote Central American villages where women still wear skirts dyed with the purple tears of sea snails; learned how George Washington obsessed about his green dining room while he should have been busy with matters of state; and investigated the mystery of Indian Yellow paint, said to have been made from the urine of Indian cows force-fed with mango leaves.

From mascara to nomadic carpets and pillar boxes, the story of colour is the story of the efforts of artists and artisans to reproduce the rainbow – and the impact their work has had on the world.

Publisher Review

A welcome reminder of the epic stories beneath the surface of everyday life * Telegraph * Victoria Finlay has unlocked the history of colour in this trawl through some little-known history * Courier Mail ( Australia) * Packed with facts, fables and anecdotes ... Finlay's detailed and brilliantly researched account makes for a fascinating read * Australian Interior Trends * An irresistible cornucopia ...Her travels are Marco Polish; her research vast but lightly worn. The whole book is an infectious delight. * RTE Guide * Full of forgotten facts and beguiling anecdotes . . . it would be hard to confront a painting ever again without seeing in it a kind of coded map of the world * Telegraph * An utterly unique and fascinating read * Publishers Weekly * It's hard to criticise her spirit of cultural exploration and easy to share her intelligent enthusiasm . . .Packed with pertinent trivia . . . informative and fun * South China Morning Post * You get your money's worth and change to spare ... Both picaresque and picturesque, it's a rich read. * Evening Standard * Packed with stories, anecdotes and adventures. A full rainbow ... as vivid as the colours themselves * Express * This is a rare and wonderful book - a model of erudition and charm, the writing elegant and precise, and with at least one new and fascinating revelation on every single page. I could not be more enthusiastic. * Simon Winchester, author of THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN * A treasure trove of human history and obsession...the breadth of research and insight is dazzling. * The Glasgow Herald * A highly companionable guide, adventurous and romantic * Independent on Sunday * It's pure pleasure to join this gutsy arts reporter-cum-scholar on her quest for historical pigments and dyes around the world * Independent * [Victoria Finlay's] curiosity is inexhaustible, her reading wide, and her writing style a delight * Sunday Telegraph *