The earliest forms of human creativity—carvings, markings, and cave paintings—lead to humanity's association with color. The desire to convey structure, order, and meaning to this universal yet elusive understanding is almost as ancient as these examples, and it is precisely this attraction that informs the companion works collected in this comprehensive volume.

Compiling over 40 traditional books and manuscripts from renowned institutions, including the world's most distinguished color collections, "The Book of Color Concepts" takes readers on a chromatic journey through the four elements and contains over 350 images of sumptuous wheels and globes, meticulously composed charts, and detailed diagrams, many of which were photographed exclusively for this publication.

Such seminal works on color theory as Isaac Newton's Optics and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's highly influential unfinished work, Zur Farbenlehre, are produced by vendors with rare and little-known works, including Professor Webster Leadbeater's theosophical color systems and the comprehensive color "dictionary" of Alois John Merz and Morris Rea Paul, as well as Patchwork by the legendary Japanese artist and costume designer Sanzo Wadi.

This volume also features many intriguing and often admired women, including the inventive floral "blots" of English floral artist Mary Gartside.

The color systems that comprise this edition, contextualized introductory essays by Alexandra Loske, and authoritative texts on the featured works further elaborate on the proceedings. "The Book of Colour Concepts," a vibrant history of colour in all its manifestations, offers an unprecedentedly comprehensive chromatic chronology.

Author

Alexandra Loske is a British-German art historian, museum writer, and curator, particularly interested in the role of women in the history of colour. She received her PhD from the University of Sussex and is currently curator of the Northern Pavilion in Brighton. Loske has lectured and published extensively on colour and other topics, and curated a number of exhibitions, including "Regency Colour and Beyond, 1785–1845" at the pavilion in 2014.