An open spread from Munsell's Colour System, featuring two radial colour charts from the Atlas. The diagrams display an organized range of hues transitioning through value and chroma, illustrating Munsell’s scientific approach to colour classification.

A double-page spread from Munsell's Colour System featuring middle and dark colour scales. The petal-like charts illustrate the gradual transition of hues, emphasizing Munsell’s perceptual uniformity in colour classification.

Munsell’s Colour System

A Colour Notation and Atlas

Price range: £7.99 through £25.99

This comprehensive guide to colour science presents A. H. Munsell’s foundational texts on colour theory and practice in a true celebration of both art and science.

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SKU 9781528724050 Categories Art History & Reference Books, Colour Theory Books, Illustrated Science Books

Book Description

This comprehensive guide to colour science presents A. H. Munsell’s foundational texts on colour theory and practice in a true celebration of both art and science.

This comprehensive guide to colour science presents A. H. Munsell’s foundational texts on colour theory and practice in a true celebration of both art and science.

Albert Henry Munsell was a pioneer of colour theory. His Colour Notation established theories for categorising colour around three dimensions: hue, value (lightness), and chroma (purity). These elements were proposed to produce any particular colour or differentiate between those of the same character. First published in 1905, Munsell’s innovative theory offered insights into colour harmony, relationships, and the psychological impact of colours. It spurred significant advancements in colour science, art, and design, standing as a cornerstone text alongside those published by Michel Chevreul and Ogden Rood.

This new edition from Art Meets Science combines Munsell’s seminal A Colour Notation with all fifteen full-colour plates from Atlas of the Munsell Color System, an introduction by Munsell, and an essay on colour by Bonnie E. Snow. An essential colour manual for those studying colour theory or with an interest in colour application, colour behaviours, and the history of colour theory.

Additional information

Weight	283.0464 g
Dimensions	N/A
ISBN	9781528724050, 9781528773539, 9781528799928
Formats Available	Ebook, Hardback, Paperback
Pages	142
Publication Date	04 September 2024

1. A World of Colour by Bonnie E. Snow
2. An Introduction to the Munsell Colour System by A. H. Munsell
3. Introduction by Professor Clifford
4. Colour Names
5. Colour Qualities
6. Colour Mixture
7. Prismatic Colours
8. The Pigment Colour Sphere
9. Colour Notation
10. Colour Harmony
11. A Colour System and Course of Study Based on the Colour Solid and its Charts
12. Glossary of Colour Terms
13. Index
14. Plates from Atlas of the Munsell Colour System

Editorial Reviews

‘The object of this work has been to present, in a clear, logical, and if possible attractive form, the fundamental facts connected with our perception of colour, so far as they are at present known, or concern the general or artistic reader.’—Ogden Rood, 1879

‘The book is full of telling illustrations gathered by a close observer of mountains, clouds, and sky, of foreground and distance, and of light and shade. The point of view is as often that of the painter as it is that of the physicist. This rare combination gives it a unique interest alike to the artist and the student of science.’—National Academy Of Sciences, 1909

‘The only way to obtain an accurate knowledge of colour harmony.’—The Catholic School Journal, 1914