The Secret Lives of Colour
The Secret Lives of Colour is a 2016 non-fiction book by British writer Kassia St. Clair which explores the cultural and social history of colours. The book, which is based on a column St. Clair writes for British magazine Elle Decoration, is organized in a series of chapters by color, arranged from white to black. Each chapter is composed of short, two to four page, essays on different shades of its respective color, discussing an interesting aspect of science, history, art, or culture relating to the shade. There are a total of 75 essays in the book. Each page is bordered by a stripe of the color it discusses for easy visual identification, even when the book is closed. Reception The book was generally well-received by critics. NPR listed it on its Best Books of 2017 list. Lily Le Brun of The Economist found the book's design visually appealing and helpful for referencing. Cathy Dillon of The Irish Times called it "perfect gift for a colour enthusiast". Laura J. Snyder of The Wall Street Journal wrote that it brought the history of both science and art "into vivid relief." Critics responded particularly well to the breadth of subjects discussed. Claire