Blue has had a long and topsy-turvy history in the Western world.
The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now cite it as their favorite color.
In this fascinating history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing meanings of blue from its rare appearance in prehistoric art to its international ubiquity today.
Any history of color is, above all, a social history.
Pastoureau investigates how the ever-changing role of blue in society has been reflected in manuscripts, stained glass, clothing, and paintings.
