The Secret Lives of Colour

Similar to my previous read, The Secret Lives is a joyful book that provides some utterly novel perspectives on a topic many “think” they understand. The book can be seen almost as a work of art in its own right, a broad palette reflecting the full spectrum of colours. What St Clair achieves so successfully and almost seamlessly in the work is to provide a succinct (absolute maximum four-page) summary of each principal colour and many sub-shades. Her explanation combines practical science (how do you produce the colour at volume?) with history (what did, does the colour signal?), without forgetting trivia. I learned, for example, that just 2% of the world's population is blonde, and separately that the Uffington White Horse was covered up during World War II, so as to limit the risk of Nazi target practice. Don't read this necessarily from cover to cover, but it is an invaluable reference book. Not rated.

By Kasia St Clair