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Notes on the Auraculous
by Caspar Henderson
A wide-ranging exploration of the sounds that shape our world in invisible yet significant ways.
The crackling of a campfire. The scratch, hiss, and pop of a vinyl record. The first glug of wine as it is poured from a bottle. These are just a few of writer Caspar Henderson's favorite sounds. In A Book of Noises, Henderson invites readers to use their ears a little better—to tune in to the world in all its surprising noisiness.
Describing sounds from around the natural and human world, the forty-eight essays that make up A Book of Noises are a celebration of all things "auraculous." Henderson calls on his characteristic curiosity to explore sounds related to humans (anthropophony), other life (biophony), the planet (geophony), and space (cosmophony). Henderson finds the beauty in everyday sounds, like the ringing of a bell, the buzz of a bee, or the "earworm" songs that get stuck in our heads. A Book of Noises also explores the marvelous, miraculous sounds we may never get the chance to hear, like the deep boom of a volcano or the quiet, rustling sound of the Northern Lights.
A Book of Noises will teach readers to really listen to the sounds of the world around them, to broaden and deepen their appreciation of the humans, animals, rocks, and trees simultaneously broadcasting across the whole spectrum of sentience.
"This is a writer who thinks, really thinks, though always gives full credit to those who preceded him in sonic studies, quoting them liberally. In sound terminology, Henderson consistently strikes dulcet tones." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Mind-bending revelations about the nature of sound, in a book gloriously packed with hundreds of them, are delivered with such wonder, detail, and scientific heft by British science writer Henderson that they will delight audiences ranging from widely read—even jaded—adults to elementary-age kids... A total blast!" —Booklist (starred review)
"You will gasp with surprise and sigh with delight over the pages of A Book of Noises. It is the most elegant and erudite history of the world as sound ever written." —David Rothenberg, author of Whale Music and Secret Sounds of Ponds
"A feast for the ears, mind, and spirit. Henderson not only celebrates the marvels of sound but also offers wonderfully original reflections on the relationships among music, science, and the living world. A delightful and generative invitation to deeper listening." —David George Haskell, author of Sounds Wild and Broken
"By turns haunting and captivating, A Book of Noises is a marvel of curiosity and elegant storytelling. Caspar Henderson confirms that, for all its turbulence, this is still 'a world alive with good noises.' Open your ears." —David Farrier, author of Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils
"A book of exquisite richness and erudition, dedicated equally to the beautiful strange and the precious ordinary." —Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey
"Caspar Henderson's books are a special kind of treasure; I struggle to think of another writer who achieves this combination of scope, intellectual rigour, and deep reflection with such grace and style. Don't be deceived by the title—far from being a noisy book, this is a quiet and determined call to listen better." —Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings
This information about A Book of Noises was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Caspar Henderson is a writer and journalist living in Oxford, England. He is the author of The Book of Barely Imagined Beings and A New Map of Wonders. As a journalist, he covers topics such as energy, science, environment, and human rights.
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