Résumé

The rainbow is the most universally enthralling phenomenon in nature. It appears in art, myth, and literature around the world as a potent symbol -- of hope, peace, and sometimes evil. The Book of Rainbows: Art, Literature, Science, & Mythology is a beautifully illustrated and substantive survey of the rainbow as it appears in science and culture through the ages, from Noah to a modern artist who built a rainbow over the United Nations. The book opens with the science of rainbows, from Aristotle to the twentieth-century discovery of the extra color, and goes on to discuss mythology and symbolism, and the rainbow in literature and art. The literary survey includes more than 50 quotations from the likes of Ovid, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Emily Dickinson. And the illustrations include the most glorious depictions of rainbows in the history of art. Among the dozens of artists represented are Rubens, Hokusai, Monet, Seurat, and Kandinsky. This uniquely beautiful and expansive book is as appealing as its subject.