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{{BNR-table|scienticity=5|readability=5|hermeneutics=5|charisma=5|recommendation=5}}
Simon Garfield, ''Mauve : How One Man Invented a Color that Changed the World''. 
New York : W. W. Norton, 2001. 222 pages.

One hundred and fifty years ago, an eighteen year-old William Perkin accidentally invented a color that took the world by storm.  This book is the story of that accident and its consequences.

Before mauve, chemistry was mostly a theoretical affair; after it, chemical research pushed industry to new heights of applications, and sparked investigations into possibilities that no one had even bothered to consider before.  The results of Perkin's discovery led to the development of explosives, perfume, photography, many modern medicines and plastics, among others.

Garfield tells his story with verve and imagination.  This is definitely a book worth reading.  

{{Notesby|SJB}}

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