Rainbows (Paperback) - Daniel MacCannell

£14.95

Enter your postcode and we'll provide you with your delivery & collection options.

  • Free Delivery on orders over £50*
  • Free Same Day Click & Collect
  • Delivery: In stock

Shop more...

Description & Specifications

Rainbow: Nature and Culture describes what rainbows are and how they work, how we arrived at our current scientific understanding of rainbows, and how they have been portrayed in myths, the arts, politics and popular culture.

The rainbow is a compelling spectacle in nature - a rare bridge between subjective experience and objective reality - and no less remarkable as a cultural phenomenon. A symbol of the Left since the German Peasants' War of the 1520s, it has been adopted by movements for gay rights, the environment, multiculturalism and peace around the globe, and inspired poets, artists and writers including John Keats, Caspar David Friedrich, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scientific `discovery' of the rainbow is a remarkable tale that takes in ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Persia and Islamic Spain. Rainbows have also been regarded as ominous or even dangerous in myth and religion, while the twentieth century saw their emergence as kitsch, from the musical film version of The Wizard of Oz to 1980s sitcoms and children's cartoons. Daniel MacCannell's enlightening and instructive guide to the rainbow's relationship with humanity is the first book of its kind. It describes what rainbows are and how they work, how we arrived at our current scientific understanding of rainbows, and how they have been portrayed in myths, the arts, politics and popular culture.

About the Author

An honorary research fellow in History at the University of Aberdeen, Daniel MacCannell UE FRGS has written nine books, including Oxford: Mapping the City (2016) and How to Read Scottish Buildings (2015).

Contributor:
Daniel MacCannell
Imprint:
Reaktion Books
Publisher:
Reaktion Books
Release Date:
16 Apr 2018
Number of Pages:
208
Binding:
Paperback / softback
ISBN13:
9781780239200

Delivery

Options to suit you

At Jarrolds we want to ensure you get your order in the most convenient way for you, so we offer..

  • Free standard delivery on most orders over £50*
  • Express and Nominated options, including Sunday delivery from £5.95*
  • Free click and collect from our stores for many items

More about delivery

Help & Advice

Need extra help?

We're always happy to answer any questions or queries you might have, please get in touch using one of the methods below.

  • Live chat
    Monday to Friday (between 9.00am - 5.30pm)
  • Call us - 01603 660 661

View more contact details

Returns

How to return a purchase

At Jarrolds we want to ensure you're delighted with your order so if for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, you can return most items to us in new and unused condition within 30 days of receiving them for a full refund*.  

More about returns