Everything you always wanted to know about colour, its history, why use one vs another, … A must for all graphic designers also exists in a French version :

John T. Drew & Sarah A. Meyer, « La gestion de la couleur : guide exhaustif à l’usage des graphistes », 2005, Editions Pyramid

 See also the user guide on InfoVis : http://www.infovis.net/printMag.php?num=183&lang=2