Summary of Kassia St. Clair's The Secret Lives of Color

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 White is a difficult color to make. It can’t be mixed together with other colors, and anything you add to it will only take it in one direction: toward black. It is also toxic.

#2 White has long been connected with money and power. Only the wealthy could afford to keep their fresh lace and linen cuffs, ruffs, and cravats pristine. This still holds true today.

#3 White has many meanings, but for many, it is positive and has a transcendent, religious quality. It is the Chinese color of death and mourning. In the West and Japan, brides wear it because it is a color symbolic of sexual purity.

#4 The architectural idolization of white is based on a mistake. For centuries, the bleached-bone color of classical Greek and Roman ruins was the keystone of Western aesthetics. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that researchers discovered that classical statuary and buildings were usually brightly painted.

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Release date

Ebook: June 6, 2022