Introduction: Colors, Natural and Synthetic, in the Ancient World -- Discovery of the Physics of Color -- The Chemical Causes of Color -- Colorant Usage from Antiquity to the Perkin Era -- Beyond Perkin -- Major Analytical Techniques Based on Color: Volumetric Analysis; Chromatography; Spectroscopy; Color Measurement -- Color on the Biological and Biochemical Front -- Finale: Color in Foods, Photochemistry, Photoluminescence, Pharmaceuticals, Fireworks, Fun and the Future.

In this brief, Mary Virginia Orna details the history of color from the chemical point of view. Beginning with the first recorded uses of color and ending in the development of our modern chemical industry, this rich yet concise exposition shows us how color pervades every aspect of our lives. Our consciousness, our perceptions, our useful appliances and tools, our playthings, our entertainment, our health, and our diagnostic apparatus – all involve color and are based in no small part on chemistry.