Ink: An overview

Reproduction of the original: Forty Centuries of Ink by David N. Carvalho
The original is not readily available, but it can be read for free online through Gutenburg.org which can be found by doing a Google search for the title.

Although much has been written on the aesthetic value of color, there are other values that adhere to it with economic and social values among them. Through case studies of particular colors and colored objects, this volume demonstrates just how complex the history of color is by focusing on the diverse social and cultural meanings of color; the trouble, pain, and suffering behind the production and application of these colors; the difficult technical processes for making and applying color; and the intricacy of commercial exchanges and knowledge transfers as commodities and techniques moved from one region to another.