Book review: design, technology and communication in the British Empire, 1830–1914

New sounds created new sensory experiences and interpretations of sensibility; they produced new economies of listening and brought about the comparative valuation of expert versus street spheres of knowledge. They also put into question what was ‘natural’ about sound and its perception. And all is situated in the context of an empire extending its global reach and influencing, as well as being subject to the influences of, soundings far and near. This collection would be interesting for readers across several disciplines dealing with sound and the historical period. The chapters are generally well written and accessible to a broad readership, and they would be useful for the university classroom as well as for those working across the various disciplines engaged.