The Riddle of the Rainbow: From Early Legends and Symbolism to the Secrets of Light and Colour

Rainbows have been a source of fascination since time immemorial. They have been the subject of myth and superstition, an inspiration to poets, a challenge to painters, the object of intense scientific interest and a touchstone for ideas about the nature of light and colour. Above all, the rainbow has been the embodiment of wonder from the earliest times to the present day.

Beginning with the circumstances in which you are likely to see a rainbow and descriptions of its salient features, thi...