Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox - Tapa blanda

A welcome reminder of the epic stories beneath the surface of everyday life * Telegraph * Victoria Finlay has unlocked the history of colour in this trawl through some little-known history * Courier Mail ( Australia) * Packed with facts, fables and anecdotes ... Finlay's detailed and brilliantly researched account makes for a fascinating read * Australian Interior Trends * An irresistible cornucopia ...Her travels are Marco Polish; her research vast but lightly worn. The whole book is an infectious delight. * RTE Guide * Full of forgotten facts and beguiling anecdotes . . . it would be hard to confront a painting ever again without seeing in it a kind of coded map of the world * Telegraph * An utterly unique and fascinating read * Publishers Weekly * It's hard to criticise her spirit of cultural exploration and easy to share her intelligent enthusiasm . . .Packed with pertinent trivia . . . informative and fun * South China Morning Post * You get your money's worth and change to spare ... Both picaresque and picturesque, it's a rich read. * Evening Standard * Packed with stories, anecdotes and adventures. A full rainbow ... as vivid as the colours themselves * Express * This is a rare and wonderful book - a model of erudition and charm, the writing elegant and precise, and with at least one new and fascinating revelation on every single page. I could not be more enthusiastic. * Simon Winchester, author of THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN * A treasure trove of human history and obsession...the breadth of research and insight is dazzling. * The Glasgow Herald * A highly companionable guide, adventurous and romantic * Independent on Sunday * It's pure pleasure to join this gutsy arts reporter-cum-scholar on her quest for historical pigments and dyes around the world * Independent * [Victoria Finlay's] curiosity is inexhaustible, her reading wide, and her writing style a delight * Sunday Telegraph *

Victoria Finlay studied social anthropology at St Andrews University, specialising in Asian culture. She worked as a journalist in Hong Kong for eleven years, five of which were spent as arts editor for the South China Morning Post. She has recently moved back to England and is busy researching her second book - a biography of precious stones.