The Anatomy of Colour: The Story of Heritage Paints and Pigments

Superb book. Once you start reading it you may realise you know more than you think you do! It is full of the bits of information that old painters told me when I started work, things that they learnt when they started work some ninety years ago, like how to make brilliant white paint. A couple of years ago I asked the ladies in the local Dulux paint store to look up the mix for brilliant white paint on the paint mixer computer to settle an argument, I bet there are not many people who know the correct mix. This book explains why one of the colours added to the mix is black, there are others!

This great book was delivered promptly

Buy this for anyone that loves colour . I’m an artist . It’s fabulous !!! Colour theory type diagrams I’m obsessed with colour so it’s up my street .

An informative book for those who are interested or who work with colour

Goods just as described and excellent service.

An incredible treasure trove of information and visual reference for those renovating a listed building, or simply interested in interior design, architectural history, and arts. Fantastic work!

Amazing book full of historical information and illustrations. A must for anyone interested in historical interiors

Lovely book, shame the cover is damaged. The book has been dropped on its corner and as a result the hardcover is mangled along the edge and onto the face. I'm sure it was unintentional but maybe the seller needs to check the cover condition before packaging. Disappointed... The book itself is a gem and an absolute must have for those who love colour theory. 3 stars reflects the handling of the product during distribution. Such a shame

Amazing book!! Lots of history and information we take for granted these days! Such an amazing study of the history of colour and its use.

This book is a very complete scientific study on the use of pigments, mainly in interiors shown in magnificent photographs

It is everything I hoped it will be and more. I am a painter and love to make my own paints. I was well served. I have no idea how they were able to produce such a gorgeous, vivid, color book for such little cost. I want to rip out every page and frame them

I volunteer as a tour guide at a local colonial-era mansion—restored with paint colors and reproduction wallpapers authenticated for the house. Visitors often have questions about these because (1) many of the colors are so striking, and at odds with contemporary tastes; and (2) some of the wallpapers offer no pattern, but merely present a field of color—“Why didn’t they just paint it?!” people ask. And this is a book that offers answers – along with plenty more, to questions I didn’t yet know I had, about paint preparation and application. Each color really had its own process, durability (and cost)—so they might be found only in certain homes, or certain rooms of homes. What I appreciate most in this book (aside from it’s obvious high production quality, and plentiful color plates) are: (1) considerable detail about the various types and components of paints in the colonial, and later periods; and (2) the organization (eg, lots of page headings and pictures) and relative brevity, by which this is all laid out. In other words, the book is easy to scan as a reference, when you’re looking for something in particular—and presents straightforward details, when you get there. I’ve purchased lots of books on color history – and they’re all interesting, full of story and anecdote. But this one has done, by far, the best at delivering “news I can use“: why a colonial mansion looks the way it does, and what it took to get it that way. (A near-perfect book! My only cavil is that aging eyes may have trouble with some portions that are in fine print.)

I saw a "look inside" preview of this book, and ordered it immediately. I couldn't wait to receive it in the mail, and as soon as I opened it I was totally in love with it! The photos are beautifully done. There's just something about the aesthetic of antique pamphlets and colour charts that's so charming, so I'm glad that there are lots of examples of them in here. One thing I did find strange though was for a book about colours and pigments, is that there were no pigment codes listed for any of the paint colours mentioned in this book. Maybe that's more specific to artists' paints though and not applicable in this particular context (where the focus is more on painted interiors), which is why I still give this book a full 5/5! As an artist with a keen interest in the history of paint and pigment information, there is still lots of cool cross-over information that applies to both interior design enthusiasts and artists alike. All in all, love love love this book and would order it again in a heartbeat.