How many colors does the rainbow have? In the West we see seven, the Chinese see five, and the Pirahan tribe in the Amazon has no words for spectrum at all. Color is not what we see, it's how we think about it.

Paul Simpson explores how eleven key colors shape the evolution of humanity as a species and influence politics and culture. His book raises questions such as the "gender reversal" of pink, the toxic potential of green, the dubious reputation of yellow, the royalty of purple, and how orange has influenced power in Europe.

Talking about color and actors, artists, chemists, composers, dentists, dictators, fashion designers, cinematographers, gods, musicians, mystics, physicists, poets and charlatans, this book changes our understanding of the spectrum.

Who this book is for

Published for the first time in Russian.