Hello, dear Readers,
Below is my book review of True Color by Kory Stamper.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Non-Fiction
Author: Kory Stamper
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
Language: English
Hardcover: 320 Pages
Meet the Author: Kory Stamper
Buy Me: AmazonBook Description
A kaleidoscopic journey through the secret history of hues—and the story of the obsessive genius behind the definitions of colors we use today, from the beloved author of Word by Word
"Wildly entertaining and bountifully informative; I couldn't have enjoyed myself more." —Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English
begonia (n.): 3 -s : a deep pink that is bluer, lighter, and stronger than average coral (see coral 3b), bluer than fiesta, and bluer and stronger than sweet william — called also gaiety
What could "bluer than fiesta" possibly mean? While editing dictionaries for Merriam-Webster, Kory Stamper found herself drawn again and again to the whimsical color definitions in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary—especially when compared to the dry and impersonal entries that filled the rest of the volume. Stamper couldn’t help but wonder: Who was the voice behind these peculiar definitions?
Meet I. H. Godlove, an erratic but brilliant up-and-coming scientist who was one of the experts Merriam-Webster hired in 1930 to help revise the dictionary to reflect a rapidly modernizing world. His fascinating life mirrors the wild and winding journey that color science, color psychology, and color production took through the twentieth century. Stamper tracks these industries as they move into the atomic age and intertwine in strange and surprising ways, spanning two world wars and involving chemical explosions, an unexpected suicide, dramatic office politics, and an extraordinary love story.
Filled with captivating facts about color words and colors themselves—did you know that the word “puke” used to refer to a fashionable shade of reddish-brown before it was associated with vomit?—and fueled by Stamper’s inexhaustible curiosity, True Color will transform the way you see the world, from black-and-white to Technicolor.
My Thoughts
Speaking of interesting books, True Color is one of a kind.
The science behind color, lexicology and a long time of researching and trying to understand all behind color. This was truly an interesting and unique read .
Thank you, Knopf and NetGalley, for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wendy
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