Skip to main content

A Book of Noises

Notes on the Auraculous

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.
 
Gathering sounds from around the natural and human world, the forty-eight essays comprising 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.

272 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2

Biological Sciences: Natural History

Music: General Music

Reviews

“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"

“Magnificent, bravura, beautiful and astoundingly interesting.”

Praise for Henderson | Sunday Times

“Spell-binding, brilliantly executed, extraordinary.”

Praise for Henderson | The Guardian

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press