Since 1968, Bernie Krause has traveled the world making sound recordings of more than 15 000 species through his organization Wild Sanctuary. In his previous book, The Great Animal Orchestra, Krause drew readers' attention to what Jane Goodall described as "the harmonies of nature … [that are being] one by one by one, snuffed out by human actions." Now, Krause builds upon the subject of his popular 2014 TED Talk and examines natural sounds produced collectively within the landscape. He goes on to explain how the secrets hidden within the natural world's shrinking sonic environment must be preserved for the sake of our cultural and scientific heritage as well as humanity's physical and spiritual welfare.
Beautifully written and accessible to a wide audience, Krause's narrative – supplemented by exclusive access to new animal sound recordings – draws upon a compelling range of personal anecdotes, histories, and examples to document his early exploration of this field and to lay the groundwork for future generations.
Bernie Krause is a naturalist and a musician who once replaced Pete Seeger as the guitarist for The Weavers. He lives in Glen Ellen, California.
"Bernie Krause hears things the rest of us don't even realize we're missing. But if we listen carefully, starting with him, we just might resurrect some sweet sounds we've lost."
– Alan Weisman, author of Countdown and The World Without Us
"If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a sound recording worth? Perhaps much more [...] We say we want peace and quiet, but Bernie knows better. What we really want is something worth listening to. There is plenty of it out there. Nobody knows how to find it better than Bernie Krause."
– Jean Michel Cousteau, on The Great Animal Orchestra
"Bernie Krause is a hero to many of us. In a deafened world, he hears, records and explains the parallel universes around us. In Voices of the Wild, he delves deeper into soundscape ecology, into philosophy and spirit, and the use of technology as way to open passageways into those universes. Voices of the Wild is fascinating, urgent, filled with sound and fury and beauty."
– Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods
"Bernie Krause shares his delight in the sounds of the natural world and makes an impassioned case for the importance of such acoustics."
– Shelf Awareness