Natural History of Silence

Jérôme Sueur (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - Paris), Helen Morrison

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English

Polity Press
17 March 2025

Applied ecology; The natural world, country life & pets

In our busy, noisy world, we may find ourselves longing for silence. But what is silence exactly? Is it the total absence of sound? Or is it the absence of the sound created by humans – the kind of deep stillness you might experience in a remote mountain landscape covered in snow, far away from the bustle of human life?

When we listen closely, silence reveals a neglected reality. Neither empty nor singular, silence is instead plentiful and multiple. In this book, eco-acoustic historian Jérôme Sueur allows us to discover a vast landscape of silences which trigger the full gamut of our emotions: anxiety, awe and peace. He takes us from vistas resplendent with full and rich natural silences to the everyday silence of predators as they stalk their prey. To explore silences in animal behaviour and ecology is to discover a counterpoint to the acoustic diversity of the natural world, throwing into sharp relief the grating reverberations of the human activity which threatens it. It is to attune ourselves to a world that our human insensitivities have closed off to us, to take a moment simply to breathe and listen to the place of silence in nature.

By: Jérôme Sueur (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - Paris)
Translated by: Helen Morrison
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 272g
ISBN: 9781509564026
ISBN 10: 1509564020
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 17 March 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements Preface by Gilles Boeuf 1. In the Alps 2. The essence of sound 3. In the tropics 4. The nature of sound 5. In the heart of the Jura 6. The enemy 7. In the laboratory 8. Absolute 9. Natural 10. Pleyel 11. Music 12. Ourselves and others 13. To hear or not to hear 14. At the museum 15. Past 16. Hiding 17. Solar days 18. Romantic 19. Together 20. Sharing 21. Battles 22. Where? 23. Great silences 24. Silence, lockdown! 25. Preserving silence Conclusion Notes

Jérôme Sueur is an associate professor at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris where he is director of the eco-acoustic laboratory.

Reviews for Natural History of Silence

""I read this wonderful book cover-to-cover in two sessions – the story, clarity of subject, and examples were so engaging. Through biophonic tapestries, Jérôme Sueur sheds light on the enigmatic shades of sound and silences he encounters, bonding the circuits of science and lyricism in an eloquent and accessible narrative."" Bernie Krause, soundscape ecologist and author of The Great Animal Orchestra ""An assiduous listener to the beautiful sounds of nature, Jérôme Sueur considers the value of a quieter world. Nothing is more necessary in these turbulent times. Read, and learn how better listening can save the world."" David Rothenberg, New Jersey Institute of Technology and author of Secret Sounds of Ponds “Anyone new to the science of sound will be able to learn its foundations in this book.” Nature