What do you think?
Rate this book
Color Problems: A Practical Manual for the Lay Student of Color
Excerpt from Color Problems: A Practical Manual for the Lay Student of Color
A great deal will be found in these pages that will be of practical service, particularly to those who have not been able to read the works of Chevreul, Von Bezold, Rood, Church, and others. Indeed, even in these, careful study would be nec essary to select passages describing combinations that could be applied to special work.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
A great deal will be found in these pages that will be of practical service, particularly to those who have not been able to read the works of Chevreul, Von Bezold, Rood, Church, and others. Indeed, even in these, careful study would be nec essary to select passages describing combinations that could be applied to special work.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
353 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1901
24 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 30, 2021
As a lay student of color, this book was written with the me of 100 years ago in mind, but now it's hard to know if it's of any true use to me any more. Certainly there were passages that seemed informative, but a lot of the technical discussion of color and it's properties seems wildly out of date in a world with computer screens and color pickers.
So instead I just tried to read it as an interesting point of view and historical account, and I enjoyed it for that. The passage about color-blindness was very interesting, and then she threw out this quote that cracked me up:
"A person so color-blind as to see no difference between the scarlet of a geranium blossom and the green of its leaves... is still and enthusiastic and seemingly an intelligent admirer of landscape and art. One cannot say from what the enjoyment arises, but it is certainly there." (9)
This is a little unfair though, she doesn't come across this callous again and is generally much more thoughtful, like this part about studying nature I enjoyed:
"Students in art and science are constantly bidden to go to nature for the abundant secrets she is ready to reveal to those who seek and prize them, and why should not workers in simpler, if not lower, occupations, be sent to the same source, which is so bountiful as to contain something for every one, and so, profiting by her fulness, learn at the same time to find contentment and joy in their work?" (114)
Ultimately this was my main takeaway, her love of color and the inspiration we can draw from natural sources, so well exampled in her fabulous plates at the back of the book.
So instead I just tried to read it as an interesting point of view and historical account, and I enjoyed it for that. The passage about color-blindness was very interesting, and then she threw out this quote that cracked me up:
"A person so color-blind as to see no difference between the scarlet of a geranium blossom and the green of its leaves... is still and enthusiastic and seemingly an intelligent admirer of landscape and art. One cannot say from what the enjoyment arises, but it is certainly there." (9)
This is a little unfair though, she doesn't come across this callous again and is generally much more thoughtful, like this part about studying nature I enjoyed:
"Students in art and science are constantly bidden to go to nature for the abundant secrets she is ready to reveal to those who seek and prize them, and why should not workers in simpler, if not lower, occupations, be sent to the same source, which is so bountiful as to contain something for every one, and so, profiting by her fulness, learn at the same time to find contentment and joy in their work?" (114)
Ultimately this was my main takeaway, her love of color and the inspiration we can draw from natural sources, so well exampled in her fabulous plates at the back of the book.
February 27, 2019
Well written gem for a lay student of color. I helped fund a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of reprinting the original work with color plates and accessories. I probably need to spend more time reviewing colors, their characteristics and how color fits into everyday life.
October 21, 2022
This book is very thought provoking. I flipped back and forth from the text to the illustrations. I look up some of her recommendations and sources. Amazing that a book written over 100 years ago can still be technically relevant.
February 5, 2019
This book brilliantly describes my color deafness! I feel vindicated and very informed.
January 27, 2025
Una aproximación interesante al color, sobre todo en el tema de los contrastes. Menciona mucha bibliografía que trataré de conseguir.
July 11, 2016
Read an article about this curious little tome on www.PublicDomainReview.org (an even curious-er website packed with brief academic articles about fantastic--you guessed it--out-of-copyright works). It's viewable in color on www.archive.org -- another wonderful site.
There's an appendix of color swatches to illustrate the concepts discussed therein, which I found as artful as it is practical. Much to be said for the charm and quaintness of "primitive" books, in comparison to our modern over-produced books, the designers of which might well take advantage of this author's discussion of complementary / contrasting colors/designs.
There's an appendix of color swatches to illustrate the concepts discussed therein, which I found as artful as it is practical. Much to be said for the charm and quaintness of "primitive" books, in comparison to our modern over-produced books, the designers of which might well take advantage of this author's discussion of complementary / contrasting colors/designs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews