Promotional Information

Also available in hardback, 9781859733370 GBP50.00 (June, 2000)

About the Author

Michael Bull Lecturer in Media Studies,University of Sussex

Reviews

'[A] fascinating phenomenology of the personal stereo.' The Guardian 'Through narcissism, voyerism, and urbanism, Sounding Out the City listens to its fields' erotics and resists the temptation to turn sound into geography. It sticks close to the taboos of what everybody knows but rarely says,that which is traditionally passed by on the way to culture.' Sociological Review 'This text was thought provoking to the reviewer. It is an analysis that should be read by those interested in the interaction of the routine with imagination in media use and those looking to develop understanding of urban life that recognize the importance of sound.' Journal of Consumer Culture 'Reaffirms the Walkman's iconic status in cultural studies provides interesting insights.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'Bull examines the complex relationships among sensory perception, technology, urban dwellers, and urban experience and uses his own insights to engage with the ideas of writers such as Adorno, Benjamin, Simmel, and Lefebvre. Abundantly illustrated with interview quotations.' Choice 'Michael Bull's important and engaging book breaks new ground by providing a theoretically and empirically rich account of what the personal stereo means in everyday life that effortlessly draws us into wider questions about the complexity of contemporary experience.' New Media Society 'Empirically rich - a fascinating contribution to some new ways of thinking about the activities that we can find in our cities and their potential for affecting urban culture'. City 'Without attempts like this, no break with the familiar or the possible would occur. (The author's) work points to important gaps in urban theory and research and should be read for its generative quality.' American Journal of Sociology 'A solid, grounded contribution, which will be of great relevance to those interested in urban life, technology and music.' American Ethnologist 'This is a splendid book. Theoretically sophisticated, empirically compelling and opening up a new agenda for the study of the media by directing our attention, and not before time, to sound.' Roger Silverstone, Professor of Media and Communications, LSE