Notes

• "In early America, every sound had a living, willful force at its source. Sometimes these forces were not human or even visible. In this fascinating and highly original work of cultural history, Richard Cullen Rath re-creates in rich detail a world remote from our own, one in which sounds were charged with meaning and power." "This book’s stunning evidence of the importance of sound in early America - even among the highly literate New England Puritans - reminds us of a time before a world dominated by the visual, a young country where hearing was a more crucial part of living."–BOOK JACKET