What in the world would we have done without ink? We would be trying to piece together clay tablets to get out of the dark ages in 2006. Art will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind born out of struggle between wisdom and madness, between dream and reality in our mind. The Story of Dyes and Pigments by Ber Francois, Guineau Delamare is a good book that goes through a detailed history of its early uses in ancient times, refinement through the Middle Ages and so on. It has great insights such as why purple is the color of royalty. What colors are white and black made of? My 1995 contribution of pigments and dyes derived from hematites, goethites, and manganese oxides. Push it good.