Böcker av Caspar Henderson

A compendium of sounds from this world and beyond, from the author of A New Map of Wonders and The Book of Barely Imagined Beings.

An entrancing guide to the world's most far-fetched creatures - a unique blend of cutting-edge science and philosophical meditation on what we humans can learn from the extraordinary animals around us

"A Little Book of Noises gathers together sounds from the cosmos, the natural world, the human world, and the invented world, as well as containing pockets of silence. From the vast sound of sand in the desert to the tuneful warble of a songbird, from the meditative resonance of a temple bell to the improvisational melodies of jazz, this is a celebration of all things "auraculous," or "ear marvelous." Sound shapes our world in invisible but significant ways, and writer Caspar Henderson brings his characteristic curiosity and knowledge to the subject to take us on an exhilarating journey to examine noise related to humans (anthropophony), other life (biophony), our planet (geophony), and space (cosmophony)"--

From medieval bestiaries to Borges's Book of Imaginary Beings, we've long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer's song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology--they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don't. With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson's book--from the axolotl to the zebrafish--are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up--that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature's "extreme survivors," able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value--or fail to value--and what we might change. A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change.