Book cover of Color Charts

Book description

A beautifully illustrated history of the many inventive, poetic, and alluring ways in which color swatches have been selected and staged

The need to categorize and communicate color has mobilized practitioners and scholars for centuries. Color Charts describes the many different methods and ingenious devices developed since the fifteenth century…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Color Charts as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is a visual banquet revealing a lavish historical collection of color charts and swatch boards. Thanks to the astute full-color reproductions I felt I was holding these rare sample books in my hands; and the fulsome text satisfied my urge to know every back story.

I discovered charts for textiles, feathers, fibers, automotive paints, ribbons, yarns, felt, paint colors, cosmetics, and more. Although I frequently search for images of color charts online, this impressive volume consists of a wealth of new-to-me examples—literally, the mother lode. 

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