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The World According to Colour

A Cultural History
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( 1,073 ratings, 169 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The World According to Colour by James Fox explores the profound impact that different colours have had on human culture, art, and history. It delves into their meanings, the emotions they evoke, and their significance across various societies throughout time. This book offers a fascinating journey through the world by examining how we perceive and use colour.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you have an interest in the history and cultural significance of colours. It provides a fascinating exploration of how colours have shaped human experiences, offering insightful anecdotes and historical context.

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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 beguiling, human history of colour by one of art history's most exciting voices.

The world comes to us in colour. But colour lives as much in our imaginations as it does in our surroundings, as this scintillating book reveals. Each chapter immerses the reader in a single colour, drawing together stories from the histories of art and humanity to illuminate the meanings it has been given over the eras and around the globe.

Showing how artists, scientists, writers, philosophers, explorers, and inventors have both shaped and been shaped by these wonderfully myriad meanings, James Fox reveals how, through colour, we can better understand their cultures, as well as our own. Each chapter offers a fresh perspective on a different epoch, and together they form a vivid, exhilarating history of the world.

The World According to Colour argues that we have projected our hopes, anxieties, and obsessions onto colour for thousands of years. 'The history of colour, therefore, is also a history of humanity.'

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The World According to Colour by James Fox has been praised for its engaging and readable history of colour. Critics note it is filled with fascinating facts and anecdotes, making it a delightful and educational read. It has been described as both a philosophical and visual feast, inspiring readers with its breadth and vivid writing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141976655

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 April 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Illustration: 32pp colour inset

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 284g

Pages: 320

About the Author

James Fox is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and a BAFTA-nominated broadcaster. His many acclaimed BBC television documentaries include programmes about British art, Japanese culture and an enduringly popular history of colour in art.

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