Throughout the course of The Secret Lives of Colour, St. Clair tells us the history of some of our most wellknown pigments and colours, as well as some that you may well not have heard of, but have in fact encountered throughout your life. 
The Secret Lives of Colour is easy to read and interesting. St. Clair discusses how many of these pigments were discovered, the reasons why they were popular or unpopular, and the reasons they either lasted to this day, or faded into obscurity. Often pigments were either bright, colourfast and stable, but highly toxic, or they were pigments that didn't work well in oils or faded quickly in light. These drawbacks led to artists preferring pigments such as lead white and a bright, deep green made with arsenic, to safer, but less exciting compounds. 
I really enjoyed reading this book, and found it quite easy to read a few pages every day, quickly making my way through it. I would highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in art, especially art history.