A concise illustrated history of one of art’s most important and elusive elementsOver the millennia, humans have used pigments to decorate, narrate, and instruct. Charred bone, ground earth, stones, bugs, and blood were the first pigments. New pigments were manufactured by simple processes such as corrosion and calcination until the Industrial Revolution introduced colors outside the spectrum of the natural world. Pigments brings together leading art histo...

“A journey as epic, and varying, as the Silk Road itself...[The Fabric of Civilization is] like a swatch of a Florentine Renaissance brocade: carefully woven, the technique precise, the colors a mix of shade and shine and an accurate representation of the whole cloth” (The New York Times)The story of humanity is the story of textiles―as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, busine...

A kaleidoscopic exploration that traverses history, literature, art, and science to reveal humans' unique and vibrant relationship with color.We have an extraordinary connection to color—we give it meanings, associations, and properties that last millennia and span cultures, continents, and languages. In The World According to Color, James Fox takes seven elemental colors—black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple, and green—and uncovers behind each a root ide...

Living on a damaged planet challenges who we are and where we live. This timely anthology calls on twenty eminent humanists and scientists to revitalize curiosity, observation, and transdisciplinary conversation about life on earth.As human-induced environmental change threatens multispecies livability, Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet puts forward a bold proposal: entangled histories, situated narratives, and thick descriptions offer urgent “arts of living.” Included ar...

"Informative and entertaining...Rogers is a seasoned raconteur, unreeling an eons-spanning tale with skill." — Wall Street JournalA lively account of our age-old quest for brighter colors, which changed the way we see the world, from the best-selling author of Proof: The Science of BoozeFrom kelly green to millennial pink, our world is graced with a richness of colors. But our human-made colors haven't always matched nature'...

THE MODERN CLASSIC AND SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER.NOW BOLDER, BRIGHTER AND EXPANDED INTO GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOUR WITH 25 NEW COLOURS.'Dazzling and vibrant' Mail on Sunday'Extraordinarily full and interesting' TLS'Gorgeous' Guardian'Charming' FT'Beautiful' Daily Mail

"In the first complete chronological narrative of the species from emergence to extinction...archaeologist Dimitra Papagianni and science historian Michael Morse have shaped a gem." —NatureIn recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthals has been transformed, thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals’ behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large ...

“Even-handed, up-to-date, and clearly written. . . . If you want to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of Neanderthal controversies, you’ll find no better guide.” —Brian Fagan, author of Cro-MagnonIn recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthal has been transformed thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals’ behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted l...

“Fascinating...Buchmann’s knowledge and enthusiasm jump off the page.” —The Wall Street Journal“An extraordinarily good book.” —Edward O. WilsonThe lively and definitive story of the beauty, sexuality, lore, economics, and ecology of the world ’s flowers, written by a devoted scientist and illustrated with his stunning photographs.Flowers—and the fruits they often become—feed, clothe, and inspire us. Indeed...

"It is rare to find a book on art that presents complex aesthetic principles in clear readable form. Ceramics, by Philip Rawson, is such a book. I discovered it ten years ago, and today my well-worn copy has scarcely a page on which some statement is not underlined and starred."—Wayne Higby, from the Foreword

The fine art of painting is as varied as the life from which it springs. Each artist portrays different aspects of the world. A great artist is able to take some aspect of life and give it depth and meaning. To do this, an artist will make use of the many devices common to painting. These include composition, color, form, and texture. This engaging and dazzling reference covers the elements and principles of design in painting and the various mediums, forms, imagery, subject matter, and sy...

From entomologist Barrett Klein comes a buzz-worthy exploration of the many ways insects have affected human society, history, and cultureAs heard on Science Friday.Insects surround us. They fuel life on Earth through their roles as pollinators, predators, and prey, but rarely do we consider the outsize influence they have had on our culture and civilization. Their anatomy and habits inform how we live, work, create art, and innovate. Featu...