What do you think?
Rate this book
The Pink Book: An Illustrated Celebration of the Color, from Bubblegum to Battleships
What do we think of when we think pink? In this richly illustrated homage to the color, artist Kaye Blegvad explores its significance across history and cultures, from gender connotations to product marketing, symbols and iconography, and more. Through engaging mini essays, interactive exercises, object studies, and interviews, readers will learn about a vibrant miscellany of pink facts and pink occurrences: like iconic applications of the color, from Elvis's cars to cotton candy; or the etymology of phrases like "tickled pink," "pink slip," or "rose-tinted glasses." This ebook will captivate those with a passion for pink and anyone with a curiosity about color.
- GenresNonfictionArtHistory
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 6, 2020
A fun book for anyone who likes history, fun facts, and pink.
May 17, 2022
(3 a pol*)
Nezapíše sa síce do dejín, ale spĺňa presne to, čo sľubuje- oslavu ružovej farby. Pridaná hodnota častokrát vtipného spoločenského komentáru (až láskavej kritiky) je to, čo túto knihu povznáša na vyššiu úroveň. Ilustrácie a praktické “cvičenia” sú tiež fajn!
Nezapíše sa síce do dejín, ale spĺňa presne to, čo sľubuje- oslavu ružovej farby. Pridaná hodnota častokrát vtipného spoločenského komentáru (až láskavej kritiky) je to, čo túto knihu povznáša na vyššiu úroveň. Ilustrácie a praktické “cvičenia” sú tiež fajn!
December 1, 2021
I didn't quite know how many stars I wanted to give this book and ultimately changed my initial 3-star-rating to 2 stars. It disappointed me so much.
Let me start by saying I love the colour pink, absolutely am in love with it and want to know all about it. Before reading this book I had already read Valerie Steeles book on the history of pink and Blegvads book just falls short. For me there wasn't anything new in this book that I hadn't read already. Now that's not really Blegvads fault BUT I did feel The Pink Book lacked any real in-depth information. It's all very superficial and nothing you can't learn about with a quick Google search. On top of that I think she's read Steeles book as well as some stuff just seems a bit too similiar. I did enjoy the small section on the colour pink as camouflage, which is cool to know.
Aside from the information in this book there are also pink illustrations and 'experiments'. Some of these experiments make you do the pink 'ink test' (what personality are you?) or dressing in a non-pink outfit and deciding how you feel in it before adding 'some' pink to it, etc. I'm not sure why she has me doing this 5-year-old kids' stuff? It screams 'filler' to me.
The illustrations are okay and sometimes fun but for me personally they didn't add any special flavour to the book. They, again, just seem like filler material? As did some random lists of pink cars, pink items seen on the street of NY etc. I think the author wanted to showcase her illustrations and built this book around it, instead of the other way around and the illustrations being an actual asset to the story she's telling.
I mean, if the goal was to make this book 'just another' fun hipster/millennial illustration book with some random facts on the colour pink they've succeeded. And if you're into that (no shame!), then I'd recommend this book.
If you really want to learn anything on this colour that sticks with you and don't need random 'experiments' that have you look around your room searching for pink items, then you'd better skip this and go straight to Steeles book or do a quick Google search on 'History of pink' - It'll give you all the information that's in this book and more.
Let me start by saying I love the colour pink, absolutely am in love with it and want to know all about it. Before reading this book I had already read Valerie Steeles book on the history of pink and Blegvads book just falls short. For me there wasn't anything new in this book that I hadn't read already. Now that's not really Blegvads fault BUT I did feel The Pink Book lacked any real in-depth information. It's all very superficial and nothing you can't learn about with a quick Google search. On top of that I think she's read Steeles book as well as some stuff just seems a bit too similiar. I did enjoy the small section on the colour pink as camouflage, which is cool to know.
Aside from the information in this book there are also pink illustrations and 'experiments'. Some of these experiments make you do the pink 'ink test' (what personality are you?) or dressing in a non-pink outfit and deciding how you feel in it before adding 'some' pink to it, etc. I'm not sure why she has me doing this 5-year-old kids' stuff? It screams 'filler' to me.
The illustrations are okay and sometimes fun but for me personally they didn't add any special flavour to the book. They, again, just seem like filler material? As did some random lists of pink cars, pink items seen on the street of NY etc. I think the author wanted to showcase her illustrations and built this book around it, instead of the other way around and the illustrations being an actual asset to the story she's telling.
I mean, if the goal was to make this book 'just another' fun hipster/millennial illustration book with some random facts on the colour pink they've succeeded. And if you're into that (no shame!), then I'd recommend this book.
If you really want to learn anything on this colour that sticks with you and don't need random 'experiments' that have you look around your room searching for pink items, then you'd better skip this and go straight to Steeles book or do a quick Google search on 'History of pink' - It'll give you all the information that's in this book and more.
January 29, 2023
Listen Linda before you come out and call me a pink hater, head my words: I AM A PINK GIRLY 💕💞💓💗
Call me brainwashed by early 2000s barbie movies but I have always loved pink.
So color me surprised (see what I did there) when this book did not deliver what the girls wanted! When I first say the cover I was so excited to read this! I was hoping for a nuance look into the color pink with some historical background and maybe a few silly fun facts.
Also the only think this book has going for it is it’s illustrations. This read more like a boring coffee table book that someone might flip through when bored at their Aunts house for the holidays.
This is a skip for sure. Very 😑 or “mid” as this kids say nowadays.
Call me brainwashed by early 2000s barbie movies but I have always loved pink.
So color me surprised (see what I did there) when this book did not deliver what the girls wanted! When I first say the cover I was so excited to read this! I was hoping for a nuance look into the color pink with some historical background and maybe a few silly fun facts.
Also the only think this book has going for it is it’s illustrations. This read more like a boring coffee table book that someone might flip through when bored at their Aunts house for the holidays.
This is a skip for sure. Very 😑 or “mid” as this kids say nowadays.
June 5, 2023
This a general book about the colour pink. It covers topics such as linguistics, psychology, fashion, food, etc. For instance, it explains the origin behind certain idioms or phrases with the word "pink" in them (e.g. tickled pink, in the pink of health), talks about pink's effect on mood (e.g. citing a 1960s study - whose effects could not be replicated and the results of which were subsequently debunked - about how a certain shade of pink seemed to quell violent behaviour in prison inmates), discusses pink's use in clothing, and pink's use in foods such as bubblegum, cotton candy, alcoholic drinks, etc. If this kind of varied content is what you expect or are looking for, then the book does a decent job of holding your interest.
March 8, 2020
I'm so glad I was able to win this book in a giveaway offered by Chronicle Books!
Of course, I had to use a pink bookmark while reading this book. =)
This book was really fun to read. I learned a lot of new things, and most importantly, this book inspired me to consider incorporating more pink into my life. I love when an author can take something seemingly simple or mundane and turn it into an interesting topic. The illustrations were very charming and made this an exceedingly likable book.
Of course, I had to use a pink bookmark while reading this book. =)
This book was really fun to read. I learned a lot of new things, and most importantly, this book inspired me to consider incorporating more pink into my life. I love when an author can take something seemingly simple or mundane and turn it into an interesting topic. The illustrations were very charming and made this an exceedingly likable book.
January 12, 2021
This is a very cute book.
I found the chapters about the colors' names and how the color has been used in the past the most interesting. Some of the other bits like lists of famous pink cars feel like filler or an excuse for some cute drawings, and some of the "experiments" I skipped or could have down without, although I loved the chart with all the shades from red to white, it really got me thinking about how we define pink.
Overall it's a very prettily illustrated history of pink with some great stories, plus it looks super cute on a bookshelf.
I found the chapters about the colors' names and how the color has been used in the past the most interesting. Some of the other bits like lists of famous pink cars feel like filler or an excuse for some cute drawings, and some of the "experiments" I skipped or could have down without, although I loved the chart with all the shades from red to white, it really got me thinking about how we define pink.
Overall it's a very prettily illustrated history of pink with some great stories, plus it looks super cute on a bookshelf.
October 16, 2019
This cute book from Kaye Blegvad is one of the reasons why I love Chronicle Books: they take chances and bring us illustrated books that I absolutely love!
Pink is not my fav color, but this book has fun knickknacks and I learned a thing or two. Here I read about the lovely Villa Serralves and wow, fell in love! What a marvelous -pink!- place!
Pretty, fun and happy. Lovely illustrations. You can read it in a day. Very worth it!
Pink is not my fav color, but this book has fun knickknacks and I learned a thing or two. Here I read about the lovely Villa Serralves and wow, fell in love! What a marvelous -pink!- place!
Pretty, fun and happy. Lovely illustrations. You can read it in a day. Very worth it!
October 14, 2019
Very cute book. If you love all things pink, it's in the book. I love the illustrations and fun facts. It's almost like an old school Pop Up Video on VH1 in book form. They did a great job of researching all of this and laying it out in such an enjoyable fashion. I will be sharing this book with others!
October 9, 2019
10/5. 100/5. I. Loved. This. Book.
It’s interesting and fun. You’ll learn about your own feelings and those of others. It’s an excellent and beautiful book.
🧠👅👄👩🏻🎤🚶🏼♀️💅🏻👚👙👛🐷🐽🌸🌷🎟🏩💒🛍🎀💞💓💗💖💕💘💝🐖🌺🍉🍠🍣🍧🏄🏼♀️🧫💄🐙🌺
It’s interesting and fun. You’ll learn about your own feelings and those of others. It’s an excellent and beautiful book.
🧠👅👄👩🏻🎤🚶🏼♀️💅🏻👚👙👛🐷🐽🌸🌷🎟🏩💒🛍🎀💞💓💗💖💕💘💝🐖🌺🍉🍠🍣🍧🏄🏼♀️🧫💄🐙🌺
October 28, 2019
This was a short read once I sat down to read it. The illustrations are enjoyable; a bit whimsical. The book seems well-researched in general but one article cited was “the healing power of crystals.” Lost a star since I can’t stand scientific fact next to non-scientific hokum.
October 16, 2020
This book was a helpful, insightful look into one of the worlds most misunderstood colors. being a boy, I grew up being told the pink was for girls, blue for guys, i have now actually become very attached to the color, and this book expanded my love for it more. 10/10.
January 28, 2021
It was a fun read because I love reading about color.
It was an unfun read because I'm a little tired of the whole "pink is a controversial color because gender" line of thought.
It's just a color guys!
That being said, still a fun and light read.
It was an unfun read because I'm a little tired of the whole "pink is a controversial color because gender" line of thought.
It's just a color guys!
That being said, still a fun and light read.
February 5, 2020
A breezy read filled with the author’s art and some exercises to encourage the reader to think more critically about pink.
October 2, 2020
A fun to read for anyone who adores the color pink and is interested to know some facts and history surrounding it! Cute illustrations too!
March 18, 2021
There's lots of information about pink things. Pretty cool!
May 17, 2021
I LIKE THIS BOOK
June 3, 2022
More substantial than I expected.
June 20, 2022
A fun, light read. So many cute, interesting, and sobering facts around the color pink. 💖
December 28, 2023
This was a random read but was a fun and in depth look at pink! Very year of the barbie movie.
August 17, 2024
Suche a fresh idea to curate a book for Pink Shade! People who like the shade would like this!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews