Sonic Wonderland: A Scientific Odyssey of Sound
Trevor Cox
As an acoustic engineer, Trevor Cox has spent his career eradicating unwanted noises – echoes in concert halls, clamour in classrooms. Until the day he heard something so astonishing that he had an epiphany: rather than quashing rare or bizarre sounds, we should be celebrating these sonic treasures.
This is the story of his investigation into the mysteries of these Sonic Wonders of the World. In the Mojave Desert he finds sand dunes that sing. In France he discovers an echo that tells jokes. In California he drives down a musical road that plays the William Tell Overture. In Cathedrals across the world he learns how acoustics changed the history of the Church.
Touching on physics, music, archaeology, neuroscience, biology, and design, Cox explains how sound is made and altered by the environment and how our body reacts to peculiar noises – from the exotic sonic wonders he encounters on his journey, or the equally unique and surprising sounds of our everyday environment.
In a world dominated by the visual, Sonic Wonderland encourages us to become better listeners and to open our ears to the glorious cacophony around us. Listen to a selection of astonishing sounds here: https://soundcloud.com/sonicwonderland
Product Details
About Trevor Cox
Reviews for Sonic Wonderland: A Scientific Odyssey of Sound
Bernie Krause, author of The Great Animal Orchestra This is acoustician Trevor Cox’s fun but thoroughly detailed tour through some of the world’s aural gems. Sounds like music to our ears
New Scientist
A must read for musicians, producers, sound engineers and nerds of all kinds
Lauren Laverne
BBC 6 Music
A David Attenborough of the acoustic realm, whose knowledge is unimpeachable yet worn lightly, whose language is vivid yet without indulgence
David Hendy
Observer
Sonic Wonderland by Trevor Cox is one of those books that require a "this book will change your life" sticker
Simon Barnes
The Times
Sonic Wonderland, a delightfully instructive book, will make you want to listen to the world anew and with beatifically attuned ears
Ian Thomson
Sunday Telegraph (Book of the Week)
Captivating book... This book does not call for quiet, but for good sound over bad... Reading this revelatory book, it is impossible not to be converted to his cause. He syringes his readers’ ears and the effect is delightful
James McConnachie
Sunday Times
If there's one man who could give you an informed account of one-hand clapping, it's Trevor Cox. Fascinating …. Thought-provoking
Tibor Fischer
The Times
Cox explores a dazzling variety of fascinating sounds... When we actively listen rather than merely hear, the world becomes a richer and fuller place, and Cox's book is the perfect primer for retraining your ears
Chris Maume
Independent
It's a joy as a reader to follow [Cox's] captivating forays into this "sonic wonderland" that surrounds us all. His enthusiasm is palpable and I challenge anybody to read this book and not want to experience for themselves at least one of the subjects described. This really is a perfect book for anyone with an interest in sound
BBC Focus