In this vivid and captivating journey through the colors of an artistrsquo;s palette; Victoria Finlay takes us on an enthralling adventure around the world and through the ages; illuminating how the colors we choose to value have determined the history of culture itself.How did the most precious color blue travel all the way from remote lapis mines in Afghanistan to Michelangelorsquo;s brush? What is the connection between brown paint and ancient Egyptian mummies? Why did Robin Hood wear Lincoln green? In Color; Finlay explores the physical materials that color our world; such as precious minerals and insect blood; as well as the social and political meanings that color has carried through time.Roman emperors used to wear togas dyed with a purple color that was made from an odorous Lebanese shellfishndash;which probably meant their scent preceded them. In the eighteenth century; black dye was called logwood and grew along the Spanish Main. Some of the first indigo plantations were started in America; amazingly enough; by a seventeen-year-old girl named Eliza. And the popular van Gogh painting White Roses at Washingtonrsquo;s National Gallery had to be renamed after a researcher discovered that the flowers were originally done in a pink paint that had faded nearly a century ago. Color is full of extraordinary people; events; and anecdotesndash;painted all the more dazzling by Finlayrsquo;s engaging style.Embark upon a thrilling adventure with this intrepid journalist as she travels on a donkey along ancient silk trade routes; with the Phoenicians sailing the Mediterranean in search of a special purple shell that garners wealth; sustenance; and prestige; with modern Chilean farmers breeding and bleeding insects for their viscous red blood. The colors that craft our world have never looked so bright.From the Hardcover edition.
#47833 in eBooks 2007-12-18 2007-12-18File Name: B000XUBDIA
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. greatBy Customeri love this book and i plan on purchasing the second one. it is really interesting all the things they talk about in the book0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A City That Might Have BeenBy ScottoThis is the first in an excellent series that addresses the "should haves; could haves; and would haves" in relation to cities (in this editions case Toronto). The modals of opportunities addressed by Osbaldestons history series are fascinating and the decisions (mostly event-driven) that go into building cities are intriguing; thought provoking and suggest that we dont always learn the lessons from our past.In some ways the series mirrors our own tendencies to indulge in reveries concerning how our lives might have been different if events shifted even if only by a little. We all ask these questions of ourselves. We almost cant help but ask.Osbaldeston has taken a universal question and shifted his gaze towards cities. The result is a fascinating series of impeccably researched and insightful books.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. 32 cancelled projects in a book I couldnt put downBy Craig RowlandFor those who love Toronto history; Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City that Might Have Been by Mark Osbaldeston is a book unlike all others. Instead of telling the story of Torontos past as we remember it; Unbuilt Toronto tells the story behind the plans and blueprints that never saw the light of day. How might our city have looked had these architectural proposals been carried out?I enjoyed every single page of this book. I truly did not want to put it down. I grew up in Toronto and reminisced as I looked at the photos of the city from the late sixties and early seventies. Unbuilt Toronto is full of photos--147 to be exact--and there isnt a double-page spread among its 255 pages where there isnt at least one photo included. Some space-age ideas floated their way past city councils and the Toronto that we now know could have been extended out to sea where a sprawling Harbour City would have taken shape; as in Dubai. In Project Toronto; Buckminster Fuller proposed a twenty-storey pyramid and a harbour city that floated. Id hate to have moved into a floating Fuller condo only to find out that it made me seasick.Reasons for all of these projects never coming to fruition; and remaining unbuilt; are easy enough to imagine: lack of funds; changes in government (where new administrations later nixed the ideas); and economic downturns. The voice of the people in the form of protest was also a factor behind sending some projects blueprints to the shredder; the most notorious example being the cancellation of the Spadina Expressway.Some construction proposals; such as a bridge or tunnel to the Toronto Islands or the Toronto City Centre (Island) Airport; have been in the works off and on for years. At the time of publication in 2008; Osbaldeston writes:"Proposals for island bridges (and tunnels) have come up regularly since Lennoxs time. David Miller swept to office on the promise of defeating the last proposal in 2003. It would seem then that that idea has been put to rest. But who knows? The century is still young."Too young. In early 2012; work commenced on a pedestrian tunnel; which would spell the end of the island airport ferry service.