I picked up this book at my local library on the advice of a friend, and it is just a fantastic read, a must have reference for anyone interested in creating art evoking certain historical periods, or anyone interested in predicting future trends in colour preferences.
Essentially, Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker take the reader on a grand tour of 20th century western history exploring the influence of politics, social changes, science, art, design and fashion on colour preferences from decade to decade.
From the utilitarian and action oriented colours of war time decades, the soft neutrals of recessions and upbeat pastels of post war returns to stability and optimism, PANTONE seeks to not just show the what and how of colour preference, but also the why, in as much as they are able in the lushly illustrated overviews of the key movements within each decade.
Although I am not sure I would purchase the book outright, I will definitely keep it on my list for future reference. Usually if I check something out more than 3 times in a year I will consider buying it, because apparently I need to have it.
Here is a link to the PANTONE website: https://www.pantone.com/pantone-20th-century-color