Discord: The Story of Noise - Hardcover

This is an engaging book on a topic that concerns us all yet about which we remain strangely inarticulate - noise ... The book is a veritable tour de force - an entertaining and highly informative tour through the weird and wonderful (and often wacky and worrisome) world of noise. (Sean LEstrange, Dublin Review of Books)

When is sound enjoyable? When is it an irritation? When is it actually dangerous? These are some of the themes of Mike Goldsmith's enjoyable history of "sound out of place". (Wall Street Journal)

A treasure trove of curious facts and anecdotes ... Discord is an extremely attractive and accessible, well-written and engaging book, an excellent starting place for readers who want to understand the physics and politics of noise. (Peter Pesic, American Scientist)

[an] engaging, often entertaining, history of noise from prehistoric times to the present day (Andrew Robinson, The Lancet)

an entertaining and informative history, written by someone with scholarly enthusiasm, which raises important issues and merits a wide readership. (Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review)

[a] spectacularly good book. (New Scientist)

Noise is a widely recognized problem and health concern in the modern world. Given the importance of managing noise levels and developing suitable 'soundscapes' in contexts such as industry, schools, or public spaces, this is an area of active research for acousticians. But noise, in the sense of dissonance, can also be used positively; composers have employed it from Baroque music to Rock feedback; medicine harnesses it to shatter kidney stones and treat cancer; and even the military uses it in (real and rumoured) weapons.

Mike Goldsmith looks back at the long history of the battle between people and noise - a battle that has changed our lives and moulded our societies. He investigates how increasing noise levels relate to human progress, from the clatter of wheels on cobbles to the sound of heavy machinery; he explains how our scientific understanding of sound and hearing has developed; and he looks at noise in nature, including the remarkable ways in which some animals, such as shrimps, use noise as a weapon or to catch prey. He concludes by turning to the future, discussing the noise sources which are likely to dominate it and the ways in which new science and new ideas may change the way our future will sound.