Scattered through this book are images of the examples of blue described, which makes it one of the most beautiful books I have read for a long time. Because we see vast expanses of blue in the sky and sea we may take it for granted, but as the author explains, ″Blue occurs less frequently in nature than other colours do.″ There are examples of blue in nature amongst flowers, birds and minerals, but compared to colours such as red, yellow and the ubiquitous green, they are comparatively rare. And when we turn from nature to human ingenuity it has been difficult to produce a colour blue artificially. The book looks at blue from many angles: science, history and art, and looks at how these interconnect. The science is explained in a way which I think is accessible to the average reader, and anecdotes are interpolated throughout the technical descriptions to make them more manageable. And it ends on a personal anecdote which emphasises what a gift blue is within the everyday world. I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

My thanks to The Experiment for a temporary digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color’ by Kai Kupferschmidt in exchange for an honest review. It was originally published in Germany and was translated from the German by Mike Mitchell. Blue is my favourite colour and this vibrant celebration of the colour blue was a delight from start to finish. It has a beautiful cover and also contains a number of striking photographs throughout. Kai Kupferschmidt is a science journalist who has been fascinated by the colour blue since childhood. This book is a record of his globe-trotting quest to find his favorite color in the natural world and to understand its place both in nature and world culture. He explores examples of blue including in minerals, plants, insects, reptiles, birds and other creatures. He also examines the linguistics of colour and practical applications such as pigments for use in art and dye in the creation of fabrics. I found this an enriching experience. His account was very science-based though I felt that Kai Kupferschmidt explained the more technical aspects in an accessible fashion. His style was colloquial and anecdotal. (The image of scientists applying make-up to the feet of male blue-footed booby birds to ascertain if this made them more or less desirable as mates amused me greatly.) He completed the book with ‘Here Was Blue’, a personal and powerful account of his encounter with ‘Blue’, the 1993 film art installation by Derek Jarman at the Tate Modern. I was very moved by it. Following the main text he provides suggestions for further reading and his sources. I find that the colour blue is very calming and so just reading this book and looking at its photographs and even the solid blue pages that mark its chapter divisions was almost like a colour meditation. Overall, I felt that reading ‘Blue’ increased my knowledge not only about blue but about colours in general. I enjoyed this very much and wanted to add it to my library, so bought its hardback edition. It is beautifully presented with dark blue-sprayed edges.

This book covers the history of the colour blue, its cultural and emotional significance, how we and other species perceive the colour, its occurrence in the world around us, the science of blue, and artificial pigments. Told as a quest in pursuit of blue, Kupferschmidt’s globetrotting doesn’t add a huge deal to what is otherwise a thought-provoking and thorough examination of nature’s rarest colour. The writing style lacks warmth, mostly resembling academic texts. The accompanying photography is stunning. A beautiful book to look at, rather dry to read, but the raw facts are fascinating. My thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the ARC.