Color in Nature: A Visual and Scientific Exploration (Paperback)

~ Penelope A. Farrant (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Illustrated with over 300 color photographs, this is a fascinating and beautiful book exploring the role of color in nature. Farrant, who currently works at the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia, wrote this book from material she prepared for lectures to the Colour Society of Australia. Her multidisciplinary approach covers all aspects of color, touching on astronomy, botany, geology, physics, and zoology. She provides clear explanations of why the ocean appears blue, how chameleons change color, and why leaves change their color in autumn. An appendix listing the scientific names of plants and animals and a glossary of terms are provided. The index is adequate, but it would have been more useful if it had more entries. Still, the general reader will find this book a pleasure to peruse. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Lib., Knoxville
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

300 color illustrations! Color is all around us, an integral and often spectacularly beautiful part of nature. What causes these colors, which animals can see them, and how and why do colors exist? Focus on the complex and fascinating role that color plays in nature, from physical and atmospheric occurrences to plant and animal life. Do you know why snow is white, a leaf green, ocean water blue, and a zebra striped? Did you know that colors in the eastern sky at sunset are paler than those in the western sky, that no two people ever see the same rainbow, and that fish generally become dark when angry? These subjects and many more are discussed in a lively, non-technical manner that will draw you in and keep you interested for hours. An excellent reference source with an encyclopedic range of information about color in our universe. Trim size: 9 1/2 x 12.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Sterling Publishing (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071372806X
• ISBN-13: 978-0713728064
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,050,014 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview, June 7, 2002

By A Customer

This book answers all those little questions you have about colors. Why are blue feathers blackish when you look at them up close? What's that rainbow on the surface of the puddle? The answers described, though sometimes complex, are given in layman's terms with lots of pictures and graphics. It is so densely packed with information that I have to read it in very small bits. Everytime I do, I come away with more interesting tidbits about the physics, biology, and chemistry of color.

The only downside to the book is that the scope is so broad. Many concepts are merely touched on. There is just enough to whet your thirst before she moves on to the next topic.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Color in Nature : A Visual and Scientific Exploration, June 26, 2000

By	Oksana Yaremchuk (Lviv, Ukraine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Color in Nature: A Visual and Scientific Exploration (Hardcover)

I am interested in the subject of visual perception, color in nature and in landscape. How human being except nature or landscape (parks, gardens) on psychological level and the possible ways of landscape planning that includes the visual perception.