Daniel MacCannell's enlightening, instructive and beautifully illustrated guide to the rainbow is the first of its kind. It describes what rainbows are and how they work, how we arrived at our current scientific understanding of rainbows, and how they have been portrayed in myths, the arts, politics and popular culture.

Table of Contents

• 1. What Rainbows Are and How They Work
• 2. Rainbows in the History of Scientific Enquiry
• 3. Rainbows and Myth
• 4. Rainbows in Literature, Poetry and Music
• 5. Rainbows in Art and Film
• 6. Rainbows in Politics and Popular Culture
• Select Bibliography
• Acknowledgements