From Egyptian wall paintings to the Venetian Renaissance, impressionism to digital images, Philip Ball tells the fascinating story of how art, chemistry, and technology have interacted throughout the ages to render the gorgeous hues we admire on our walls and in our museums.

If you want to know why a good blue was so hard to find for so long, or why printed reproductions rarely match the colour of the originals, or why Rothko's canvases have changed colour in only 40 years, or just about anything else about the art and science involved in creating and using colour, "Bright Earth" is the book for you. From Egyptian wall paintings to the Venetian Renaissance, impressionism to digital images, Philip Ball tells the fascinating story of how art, chemistry and technology have interacted throughout the ages to render the gorgeous hues we admire on our walls and in our museums.