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Secret Lives of Colour

New edition with 25 new colours
By Kassia St Clair
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Brief Description
'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer' SIMON GARFIELD THE MODERN CLASSIC, NOW BOLDER, BRIGHTER AND WITH... Read More
Format: Hardback
$7000
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The much loved design classic and Sunday Times bestseller, translated into 21 languages, EXPANDED INTO GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOUR with 25 NEW COLOURS and 33% EXTRA NEW MATERIAL

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer' SIMON GARFIELD

THE MODERN CLASSIC, NOW BOLDER, BRIGHTER AND WITH 25 NEW COLOURS.

The history of colour tells the vivid story of civilisation. From scarlet women to imperial purple, leaf green to the white paint that protected against the atom bomb, Picasso's blue period to the pink Barbie claimed for feminism, The Secret Lives of Colour offers a bright thread throughout human history.

Kassia St Clair's lifelong fascination with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or Dorothy's ruby slippers) takes us on an unforgettable journey through our past, present and future.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399823586

Publisher: John Murray Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 09 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd

Illustration: 100 colours

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 222.0mm

Weight: 960g

Pages: 448

Collections

Art history and artists gifts Arts & Culture Best Sellers at Book Hero Education & Reference Engineering, Technology & Agriculture Fashion & Design Gift Finder Gifts for adults Gifts under $100 History & Archaeology History & Military In Stock Books Kassia St Clair Non-Fiction

About the Author

Kassia St Clair studied the history of women's dress and the masquerade during the eighteenth century at Bristol and Oxford. She has since written about design and culture for the Economist, House & Garden, TLS, Quartz and New Statesman, and has had a column about colour in Elle Decoration since 2013. Her first book The Secret Lives of Colour was a top-ten bestseller, a Radio 4 Book of the Week and has been translated into over a dozen languages; her second, The Golden Thread, was a Sunday Times Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Somerset Maugham Award. She lives in London.

www.kassiastclair.com

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