The book is a source for artists, art educators, and anyone interested in color, offering a lively, vivid, and highly informative resource on dyes and pigments—the basic ingredients of paint and painting materials. Elaborately produced in 18 color-printing, it covers 370 pure pigments and dyes and includes, among other things, 693 color samples and 78 textile dyes. There is a chapter with pigment analyses of a total of 17 works of art from the 14th to the 20th century, providing remarkable insight into the artists' use of color materials and promoting a basic understanding of the production of works of art through the use of color. For example, the idea that Klee may have mixed the color fields of his painting using only yellow, red, and blue based on color theory never even arises!

Another chapter presents a total of 19 "color stories" centered around different pigments which is informative, well-illustrated, and a fascinating read. It illuminates the material basis of the phenomenon of color and embeds it in specific cultural and art-historical contexts, ranging from cave paintings to Ferrari red. The book can be described as exceptional in its content and material. It not only writes about color, but also shows and stages it.

(The doctrines of colour harmony: An encyclopaedia on the history and theory of colour harmony teachings) This is probably the most comprehensive survey on colour harmony theories, complete with a bibliography of 410 items; it is still available in online bookshops. While giving a thorough overview of all the most important theories the author concludes that “secure and definite predictions concerning harmonious color combinations are not possible. In other words—it is not possible to state objectively validated laws of color harmony.”

The book is a homage to the colour didactics of Aemilius Müller. Müller’s harmonies are an extension of the once-famous Ostwald system. Whatever one thinks of the concept of colour harmony, Müller’s illustrated examples of harmonies are stunningly beautiful! Werner Spillmann has done a great service to colour research by discovering, preserving and presenting this material which lay forgotten for decades. The only book on colour harmony that is recommended by the CLP, as it is less formalistic than others. It is about training your eye to see relationships, for creating various chromatic atmospheres. It is non-dogmatic and provides many didactic tools - including for children.

Culmination of a lifetime’s research into cultures of colour. Gives explanations of the arcane, religious and other symbolical usages of colours in cultures around the world.