Patrick Syme Books

Read & Co. presents this new edition of Werner's Nomenclature of Colours. First published in 1814, this small volume comprises a collection of 110 swatches displaying nature's colour palette together with their poetical descriptions. In the 18th century, German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner set out to establish a standard reference guide to colour for use in the general sciences. Scottish flower painter Patrick Syme later enhanced and extended Werner's work to include all of the most common colours or tints that appear in nature, with each colour swatch accompanied by examples from the Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Kingdoms. The resulting work was used by many scientists, explorers and anthropologists to further their studies, including Charles Darwin during his time on the HMS Beagle. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours is considered the predecessor of modern systems such as Pantone and has even inspired heritage paint ranges from the likes of Dulux and Farrow & Ball. Read & Co. is republishing this beautiful little volume in a new facsimile edition and has taken great care to reproduce the original text and art for a new generation of artists and scientists.

Originally published in 1814, Werner's Nomenclature of Colours is a remarkable guide to the colors of the natural world. This edition includes additions by Patrick Syme, a Scottish artist who used the book to create scientifically accurate color charts for field use. With over 100 color swatches and detailed descriptions of each color, this book is an invaluable resource for artists, scientists, and nature lovers.

A facsimile edition of Werner's classic taxonomy of nature's colours, as used by Charles Darwin.

"Read & Co. presents this new edition of Werner's Nomenclature of Colours. First published in 1814, this small volume comprises a collection of 110 swatches displaying nature's colour palette together with their poetical descriptions. In the 18th Century, German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner set out to establish a standard reference guide to colour for use in the general sciences. Scottish flower painter Patrick Syme later enhanced and extended Werner's work to include all of the most common colours or tints that appear in nature, with each colour swatch accompanied by examples from the Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Kingdoms. The resulting work was used by many scientists, explorers and anthropologists to further their studies, including Charles Darwin during his time on the HMS Beagle. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours is considered the predecessor of modern systems such as Pantone and has even inspired heritage paint ranges from the likes of Dulux and Farrow & Ball. Read & Co. is republishing this beautiful little volume in a new facsimile edition and has taken great care to reproduce the original text and art for a new generation of artists and scientists"-- Amazon.com

A taxonomic guide to the colors of the natural world, with 13 palettes and 110 color swatches, cherished by artists and scientists for more than 2 centuries ”Before Pantone, there was Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours”—Architectural Digest This beautiful pocket-size facsimile is a charming artifact from the golden age of natural history and global exploration. In the pre-photographic age, almost all visual details had to be captured via the written word, and scientific observers could not afford ambiguity in their descriptions. In the late 18th century, mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner devised a standardized color scheme that allowed him to describe even the subtlest of chromatic differences with consistent terminology. His scheme was then adapted by an Edinburgh flower painter, Patrick Syme, who used the actual minerals described by Werner to create the color charts in the book, enhancing them with examples from flora and fauna. Werner's handbook became an invaluable resource for naturalists and anthropologists, including Charles Darwin, who used it to identify colors in nature during his seminal voyage on the HMS Beagle. Werner's terminology lent both precision and lyricism to Darwin's pioneering writings, enabling his readers to envision a world they would never see. This new facsimile edition complete with ribbon marker brings the classic work back to life.