A book about science which also happens to be a miniature work of art * * Daily Telegraph * * Intriguing and elegant * * Guardian * * Thoroughly researched and beautifully written * * New Scientist * * By bringing Perkin into the open and documenting his life and work, Garfield has done a service to history * * Chicago Tribune * * Simon Garfield's history of the synthetic dye industry mixes chemistry and social history into quite a colourful tale * * Observer * * A one-man Blue Peter team for intelligent adults, a great British explainer * * Observer * * Witty, erudite and entertaining * * Esquire * * Garfield has a talent for being sparked to life by esoteric enthusiasm and charming readers with his delight * * The Times * * A sort of museum between hard covers . . . as good as pop history gets * * Sunday Express * * Simon Garfield has made his name as an author who can spin fascinating narratives out of subjects that seem, on the face of it, narrow to the point of being dull * * Financial Times * *