Now on Kindle

I am so happy! In fact, I'm thrilled!

My dictionary of colour in history,

Elephant's Breath and London Smoke,

is now available on Kindle!

More news from my publisher, Five Rivers: Apple, Kindle, Smashwords and The Docket

A little about me ...

My publisher, Lorina Stephens of Five Rivers Publishing, has interviewed me at

Profile Series: Deb Salisbury

There's a bit about me, my pattern company, and my book, Elephant's Breath & London Smoke. Plus a few thoughts on my current work. Please drop by.

A new review of Elephant's Breath & London Smoke

Lorina at Five Rivers and Google Alerts mentioned this great review of EBLS at Rosemary for Remembrance. Thank you, Jonquil! And thanks for comparing it to a "box full of perfect chocolates" in an earlier post. You made my day!

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Elephant's Breath and London Smoke: Historic Colour Names, Definitions, & Uses. Edited by Deb Salisbury, Five Rivers, Neustadt, Ontario, Canada, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9739278-2-5, $32.95.

To begin with, this book is fun. Just skimming the pages leads you to treasures like "wine yellow", "the pale and doubtful shade of claret known as wine-and-water", and "clair de lune", "A color that gives the effect of sheeny white, over pale blue." If you want to browse 19th-century fashionable clothing colors, this book is absolutely perfect for you.

There are, however, some execution problems. The back cover promises to cover "from around 1380 to 1922" in "English, American, Canadian, and Australian publications." In practice, however, few of the citations are to sources from the 1700s; most pre-19th-century citations are to 19th-century references to older works, including an 1845 modernized edition of Chaucer and Letters Received by the East India Company, 1897. There are no references to modern scholarship -- one obvious omission is Janet Arnold's magisterial Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd.. The author says frankly that "A great many of my sources were found on Google Books", and the book reflects the limitations of what is currently digitized and in the public domain. (If you look at the bibliography, however, the author has clearly researched works that are not currently digitized.) Similarly, the references to early 20th-century sources are scant; the last one I spotted was to 1910, and there are only a few 20th-century books in the bibliography.

Almost all the citations are to fashion publications. If you want to know what architects, for instance, were saying about colors you're out of luck. There are, however, some invaluable citations to a 1908 source, Modern Pigments and their Vehicles, and to an 1834 source, Practical Treatise on Dying, both of which give recipes for colors, useful for pinning down precisely what was intended by a particular name.

Although the book is in dictionary style, repeated references aren't merged into a single header. Instead, you have eight definitions of "iron gray", one after the other in a long line. Similarly, the entries for "dead leaf", "feuille mort", "filemot", "foliomort", "philomot" are cross-referenced but not merged. It's enormously labor-intensive to do this sort of merging, so for a single individual not working under the aegis of an academic press, its absence is unsurprising.

There are some enjoyable longer paragraphs in the back under the title of "Period Comments on Colours" including "Victorian Complaints about 17th-Century Colour Names" and "Old and New Colours:1872". There is also an invaluable bibliography. As a piece of scholarship, Elephant's Breath & London Smoke is somewhat limited. As a laywoman's (-man's) reference to the fashionable clothing colors of the 19th century, it is invaluable. And, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, it is fun.

Another review for Elephant's Breath & London Smoke

by Carol Wood

Just got my copy of "Elephant's Breath & London Smoke: Historic colour names, definitions & uses," ed. by Deb Salisbury. I LOVE it! I'm a sucker when linguistics meets costuming and this is a great book, I think.

I've as yet only looked up a few color terms and I think it's well done.

http://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Breath-London-Smoke-Salisbury/dp/0973927828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264612245&sr=1-1

Didn't know about it until I read a book review in the latest issue of the Virtual Costumer (http://www.siwcostumers.org/) and I just love it!

What do others think of it so far?

Cheers,
Carol
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Thank you, Carol!

New Reviews on EBLS

On Amazon UK:

Excellent reference work, 25 Dec 2009
By Malcolm Green http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R3LNMHO8Q79026/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Not a book to read as such - this is not some coffee table tome on colours and pigments - but an excellent reference book, referring colour names (listed, with bibliographical details and often many citations for the same colour name) from the 14th to the end of the 19th century) over hundreds of pages. This is an excellent bit of sustained research that should appeal to everyone from artists colourpersons to the fashion-minded, costume historians, interior designers, people of the stage, horse-fanciers (sensibly many horse colours are listed) and not least of all poets. Quite a gem and quite unexpected. And if I wrote at the beginning this is "not a book to read" you will find yourself dipping and before you notice wallowing...

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At the wonderful blog - Two Nerdy History Girls

The NHG library: Elephant's Breath & London Smoke

Thank you, Malcolm and Loretta!

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of Elephant's Breath & London Smoke in the GoodReads Giveaway!

Riah Ellis
Amy Huziak
Seymour Hersh
Mary Reed

Your books will be shipped directly from the publisher soon. I would be very grateful if you could write a review after you've had a chance to read through it.

Many thanks to Lorina of Five Rivers Chapmanry for sponsoring the contest!

Giveaway ends soon!

Just a reminder that my publisher, Lorina of Five Rivers Chapmanry, is giving away four copies of Elephant's Breath & London Smoke at Goodreads!

The contest ends late tonight!

Join in the fun! Just click on the Enter to Win button.

Color of the Day - Alexandra blue

Alexandra – Born at Copenhagen, Dec. 1, 1844. Daughter of Christian IX. of Denmark and wife of Edward VII., king of England, whom she married March 10, 1863.
Century Cyclopedia of Names, 1904

Alexandra blue, 1863 – The beautiful colour which has received the name of Alexandra blue,
What-Not, April 1863

Alexandra blue, 1872 – It is worth noting that ultramarine, in a very deep shade (when it borrows the name “Alexandra,” “royal,” &c., according to the period), is one of the most unbecoming colors that can be placed near the face in masses. Its brilliancy lends a yellow hue to the skin, while its deepness withholds the gray shadows cast by pale blues, which are so valuable to delicate complexions: it should be shunned alike by the florid and the fair.
Every Saturday, November 16, 1872

excerpt from: Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at http://www.mantua-maker.com/

Book Giveaway

Happy Halloween, everyone!

My publisher, Lorina of Five Rivers Chapmanry, is giving away four copies of Elephant's Breath & London Smoke at Goodreads!

The contest ends on 11/30/09.

Join in the fun! Just click on the Enter to Win button.

Best of luck to you!

Color of the Day - Turquoise

Turquoise, 1872 – Turquoise blue, …is a most beautiful pale color, less cold than indigo, yet colder than ultramarine, …In dress, when not too brilliant, it is exceedingly becoming, especially to fair persons, adding gray to the shadows of the complexion, enhancing the rose of the cheek and any shade of yellow latent in the hair. It is, though not the brightest, the most penetrating of all blues.
Every Saturday, November 16, 1872

excerpt from: Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Royal grene

Royal grene, 1380 – Among the most popular were “royal grene;” which from ancient miniatures we should judge to have been a fine grass-green with a distinct dash of yellow in it, like the colour of a sunlit leaf.
Contemporary Review, September 1883

excerpt from: Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Milk and water

Milk and watter, 1562 – Maye 21, 1562. … one clock {cloak} of colour called milk and watter.
Wills and Inventories from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Richmond, 1853

Milke and water, 1587 – iiij yds of milke and water
Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham, 1860

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

#11 in books on fashion at Amazon

I'd like to think Lorina Stephens at Five Rivers Chapmanry for pointing out on her blog that Elephant's Breath & London Smoke now ranks #11 in books on fashion at Amazon.com.

I'm thrilled! I hope you'll check out my Amazon page at Elephant's Breath & London Smoke.

Elephant's Breath & London Smoke is a dictionary of color in history, especially as seen in fashion.

Wool Export Colours in 1747

Only coloured Cloths are fent to the Levant; but they are different, according as they are defined for Perfia or Smyrna.

The Colours for Smyrna are, Scarlet, or red Crimfon, Violet, Purple, Green, Prince Colour, and Cinamon. Thofe for Perfia are, Ifa belle, Feuille morte, Yellow, Citron, Orange, Flefh Colour, Celadon, clear Purple, Rofe Colour, Carnation, Amarante, grey Pearl, Blue, Lead Grey, and Scarlet.

Memoirs of Wool, &c., 1747

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Coralline

Coralline – (Peonine). A deep red coloring matter … In tone it is perfectly distinct from magenta, being a red, as its name intimates, resembling that of the peony and of coral. … An outcry is at present raised against its use, on the ground of alleged poisonous properties, which are probably much overstated.
Manual of Colour and Dye Wares, 1870

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

In the reign of Elizabeth I

A runaway page was thus defcribed in the reign of Elizabeth

These are to pray you, &c. to make hew and cry for a yonge stripling aged twenty-two years, with one doblet of yellow million fuftion, the one half buttoned with peche coloured buttons, the other half laced downwards. One payer of peche coloured hofe, laced with fmall tawney lace. A graye hat, with a copper edge round it; a pair of watched ftockings. He hath two clokes, the one of veffey collor, garded with two yards of black cloth and twifted lace of carnacyon collor, and lined with crimfone bayes; the other is a red fhipp ruffet colour, ftriped about the cape; and gown the fore face twifted with two rows of twifted lace; ruffet and gold buttons afore and upon the fholdier, being of the clothe itfelf, fet with the faid twifted lace, and the buttons of ruffet filk and gold.”

Antiqu. Repertory, Vol. II.
The British Critic, October 1797

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Popinjay

Popinjay, 1735 – To dye a Popinjay-Green. Make a weak lixivium of pot-afhes, fuch as the country people wafh their clothes with, put into it Indigo a fufficient quantity; then put in your things to be dyed (being firft dyed yellow), let it boil, the longer the better, fo will the colour be good.
Dictionarium Polygraphicum, 1735

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath & London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Scarlet

Scarlet, 1607 – Scarlet cloth was supposed to be endued with medicinal virtues, of which an instance is given by Dr. Gaddesden, who is said to have cured a patient of the small-pox by wrapping him in a scarlet cloth. “And these applied with a right scarlet cloth.” B. Jonson’s Volpone.
Glossary and Etymological Dictionary, 1834

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Mordoré

Mordoré, 1791 – by uniting thefe two mordants, alum and iron, we have mixed colours, inclining to red on the one hand, and to black on the other, fuch {such} as mordoré and puce colour. … various colours may be obtained from madder united with yellow fubftances. It is in this way, that mordoré and cinnamon colours are produced;
Elements of the Art of Dyeing, 1791

Mordoré, 1798 – Is a dark dirty Crimfon Red; a mixture of Crimfon and a little Brown.
Philosophy of Mineralogy, 1798

excerpt from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com

Color of the Day - Black and Dyers Black

Black , 1775 – abfence or want of light and colour, owing to a body’s reflecting no rays of light. Dyers black, for ftuffs of a high price, is compofed of indigo, woad, boiled with alum, tarter or afhes of lees or wine, maddered with common madder, and mixed with gall-nuts of Aleppo, copperas and fumach. The beft black cloth fhould be firft dyed blue.
Royal English Dictionary, 1775

Outtake from:
Elephant's Breath and London Smoke
A Dictionary of Color in History
edited by Deb Salisbury
Available at www.Mantua-Maker.com