The subtitle clearly delineates the subject matter of this important book on the subjectivity of color sense and theories thereof, from the late 19th century to the present . . . [Riley] stresses the relatively independent development of color ideas among the theorists chosen, speaking of interrelations usually only where they have some historical or conceptual validity; and he does so in a clear, intelligible style.
—Choice

Riley's richly rewarding scholarly study explores the multiple meanings of color.
—Publishers Weekly

In six intricate essays, the author discusses uses of color by the foremost contemporary artists, composers, philosophers, authors, architects, and psychologists . . . Riley's impressively wide-ranging knowledge demonstrate[s] the unique and varied perceptions in the field.
—Library Journal

A captivating book. Rich in information and graceful in its prose, I know of no other book on the subject with this kind of encyclopedic breadth. The vast amount of detail is handled with an ease that belies the years of research that must have gone into this project.
—Wendy Steiner, author of The Scandal of Pleasure

A tour de force . . . Color Codes is in a class by itself.
—C. L. Hardin, author of Color for Philosophers

CHARLES A. RILEY II is a frequent lecturer on the arts. He is author of several books, including Aristocracy and the Modern Imagination (2001) and Saints of Modern Art (1998), and of over a hundred gallery and museum catalogue essays for exhibitions on three continents. He has also written dozens of cover features for magazines including Art & Auction, Art & Antiques, and World Art. Founding editor-in-chief of WE, a national magazine for people with disabilities, he is Associate Professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY.