Contents: Introduction: the myth and the magic -- From antiquity to the Middle Ages -- Indigo’s heyday, the downfall of Woad and salvation by denim -- Indigo plants and the making of their dye -- Blue nails: indigo dyeing worldwide -- The variety of decorative techniques -- ’For richer, for poorer’ : textiles prestigious and popular -- Blue art -- ’In sickness and in health’ : blue beards, blue bodies -- Into the future