I just finished a book many might find interesting:
Color: A Natural History of the Palette, by Victoria Finlay. It's in paperback. She goes through the "rainbow" (ROYGBV)(colors chosen by Isaac Newton she informs us), each color a chapter. She describes the history of the color's use and lots of neat details about manufacturing technique and history. I thought she indulged a bit too much in her own travails, but that's just me. It was packed with references for more to read and interesting annecdotes about the great artists from ancient to modern.

JZM, there is a book review thread in the General Discussion thread that you may like to add this post to. There people have reviewed a number of interesting books on art.