Colour cover art

Colour

Travels Through the Paintbox

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Colour

By: Victoria Finlay
Narrated by: Victoria Finlay
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £18.89

Buy Now for £18.89

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
'A rare and wonderful book... I could not be more enthusiastic.' Simon Winchester

'A treasure trove of human history and obsession...the breadth of research and insight is dazzling.' Glasgow Herald

'A highly companionable guide, adventurous and romantic' Independent on Sunday

On a journey that takes her from Afghanistan, to the Australian outback, to ancient caves in China, and the saffron harvest in Spain, Victoria Finlay gives an extraordinary and compelling account of the history of colour.

On a journey that takes her from Afghanistan, to the Australian outback, to ancient caves in China, and the saffron harvest in Spain, Victoria Finlay gives an extraordinary and compelling account of the history of colour.

Colour unlocks the history of the colours of the rainbow, and reveals how paints came to be invented, discovered, traded and used. This remarkable and beautifully written book, part travelogue part narrative history, remembers a time when red paint was really the colour of blood, when orange was the poison pigment, blue as expensive as gold, and yellow made from the urine of cows force-fed with mangoes. It looks at how green was carried by yaks along the silk road, and how an entire nation was founded on the colour purple.

Exciting, richly informative, and always surprising, Colour lifts the lid on the historical palette and unearths an astonishing wealth of stories about the quest for colours, and our efforts to understand them.

(P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2002 Victoria Finlay Art Travel Writing & Commentary Inspiring
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
brilliant story that's ignites passion in the most mundane daily sights, well worth a listen.

a new way to see the world

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the entertaining side of this book. Yes, you also get lots of facts and information about colour, pigment and dyes but it’s the stories of her travels that made it a great listen.

Very entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A journey through the history of colours, read by the author. Well worth a listen.

Really enjoyable and informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love colours and enjoy listening to the history on how the colours were derived. It gets heavy though. Combined with what I learned from other sources, I feel a bit down after. When I see colours, I feel inexplicable happiness. But now, I don't know if could, or should, still smile as brightly when I see royal blue. There are others but I specifically like this colour. Sigh.

Vivid history behind colours

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fascinating well written time travelogue exploring the history of pigments used in art and fabric dying. I only grabbed this as it was free but I’ve just gone through it from start to finish in one day. Having the author narrate can sometimes be disappointing but this was a masterclass in narration, lifting even potentially dryer sections into enjoyable. The authors’ enthusiasm and her memories of the actual journeys that she’d been on to all the remote parts of the globe almost made me feel as if I’d been with her. A joyous listen that will long stay with me.

Like travelling through a paintbox

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews