The first forms of human creativity - in carvings, marks, and caves - testify to humanity's relationship with color. Almost as old as these examples is the desire to assign structure, order, and meaning to this universal yet elusive concept. This fascination unites the works gathered in this extensive publication.

Bringing together over 65 rare books and manuscripts from a rich variety of institutions, including some of the most distinguished color collections worldwide, the Book of Color Concepts takes the reader on a chromatic odyssey through four centuries and over 1,000 images featuring luscious wheels and spheres, carefully assembled maps, and methodical diagrammatic depictions, many of which have been recently photographed exclusively for this edition.

Some of these concepts provide exhaustive taxonomies of color, while others delve into the relationship of color with music or the affinities between color and human emotions. Foundational works of color theory, such as Isaac Newton's Opticks and Johann Goethe's significant Zur Farbenlehre, are presented alongside rare and lesser-known contributions, including the theosophical color systems of Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant, the comprehensive "dictionary" of color by Aloïs John Maertz and Morris Riah Paul, and the mosaic combinations by Japanese jewelry designer and artist Sanzo Wada.

The two volumes also bring to the forefront many fascinating and often overlooked works by women, including the radically innovative "dots" of color by English flower painter Mary Gartside and a botanical notebook by pioneering spiritualist Hilma af Klint. The color systems comprising this edition are placed in context through introductory essays by curator Alexandra Los and collaborator Sarah Lowengard, while the curator's authentic texts on the reproduced works explain each conceptual element in further detail.

Shedding light on the history of color in all its forms, the Book of Color Concepts offers a chromatic chronology of unparalleled scope.