
The Mystery of Colour
and how we solved it
$34.72
- Hardcover
56 pages
- Release Date
4 August 2026
Summary
What’s your favourite colour? Ever wondered how it got from nature into your paints?
Long ago, brilliant blues, glittering greens and radical reds weren’t easy to make. Artists had to crush beetles, burn bones and even drain sea snails to create colours.
Come on a journey through history, packed with amazing stories, dazzling illustrations and iconic artworks from around the world to discover how we solved the mystery of colour.
Written by a master paint maker and colo…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781760765422 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1760765422 |
| Author: | David Coles, Margaux Samson-Abadie |
| Publisher: | Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd |
| Imprint: | Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 56 |
| Release Date: | 4 August 2026 |
| Weight: | 590g |
| Dimensions: | 17mm x 237mm x 308mm |
| Audience Age: | 7-10 |

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Critics Review
This book is as compelling for its strange facts as it is for the storytelling behind the origins of colour pigments. I treasure the depth and detail in David Coles’s concise new book Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Colour. * The Australian *
David Coles
David Coles is a real-life colour detective. He has spent years investigating how colours are transformed into pigments and paints. David started his journey in his dad’s art studio before going to art school where he immersed himself in traditional painting techniques. After graduating he experimented to create his own paints - grinding precious stones and mixing magical powders to make colours - just like the artists of long ago.
Today, David runs Langridge Artist Colours, where he creates some of the world’s most beautiful paints. He wrote a grown-up book called Chromatopia all about the history of colour, and now he’s sharing those incredible stories with kids in this children’s edition.
Margaux Samson-Abadie grew up in a small coastal town in the west of France, playing pretend with her sister and drawing anthropomorphic animals. With a background in fashion and surface pattern design, her illustrative work is intricate and colourful, and rooted in her fascination for nature and cherished childhood memories.
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