Color:: A Natural History of the Palette, Victoria Finlay. Maybe the most interesting nonfiction book of the year. Simultaneously a travelogue and a history, each chapter chronicles the difficulties in obtaining a different pigment to match the spectrum. Her remarks aren't limited to the dye makers and gatherers themselves, but also include intriguing tidbits about painters' choices, and why some paintings look very different from when they were created.  Recommended for anyone with even a casual interest in art history or color theory.