Sounds of Our Times

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, July 99
"...the fact is that Beyer emerged with a work that is truly worthy of a professional historian (who would most likely lack his understanding of acoustics and the chronological perspective); it is scholarly yet it makes a fascinating read.... In summary, Beyer's Sounds of Our Times is destined to become a classic in its genre."


Appl Mech Rev, May 1999
"Very few people in the world would even attempt the monumental enterprise subject of this book. To produce a coherent and enlightened summary of two centuries of work in any science requires a very special person: One who not only understands it all, but who has taught it all, and has personally contributed to its development over many years; one with the patience and scholarship to research it all, historically and technically, and then coherently summarize it in a pleasant narrative, while documenting it with countless examples and citations to the key discoveries in the world literature. Such a person is Robert T. Beyer.... No wonder the resulting book is so remarkable and informative. A very hard-to-follow world class act.... The book is a true pleasure to read. It should be required reading for any graduate student planning to enter a career in acoustics...and anyone who wishes to learn more about the history of this fascinating field from one who has studied and presented it masterfully."


Nature, March 1999
"The book combines good science with being a good read."


Book Description
In 1800, the study of acoustics consisted of a number of isolated areas - music, the ear and the voice, vibrations, and the passage of sound through air. In the years that have followed, the field has expanded enormously. Legendary for its interdisciplinary character, the field today ranges across and draws upon the disciplines of physics, geology, engineering, physiology, and psychology, and now includes such varied areas of study as medical diagnosis and treatment, music and the design of musical instruments and listening spaces, and the passage of sound waves through every conceivable medium. SOUNDS OF OUR TIMES: TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF ACOUSTICS, the first complete history of acoustics over the past two hundred years, described by one of the preeminent members of today's acoustical community, presents a fascinating portrait of the work of brilliant individuals, the development and use of technology, and the interactions of different parts of the field. The author steers a course between the largely anecdotal history of Dayton C. Miller (ANECDOTAL HISTORY OF THE SCIENCE OF SOUND, 1935) and the meticulously researched effort of F.V. Hunt (ORIGINS IN ACOUSTICS, published posthumously in 1978). SOUNDS OF OUR TIMES: TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF ACOUSTICS begins after the period covered by Hunt and follows new developments in the subject almost up to the present day. It also chronicles the developments in the subject almost up to the present day. It also chronicles the development of organizations of acousticians, especially that of the Acoustical Society of America, and contains many historical illustrations never before available in a single volume. ROBERT T. BEYER, Hazard Professor of Physics Emeritus at Brown University, has worked in the field of acoustics for more than fifty years, mainly in ultrasonics and nonlinear acoustics. He served as treasurer of the Acoustical Society of America for twenty years, and was its first president in 1968-69. As a sideline, he has been a translator of German and Russian technical literature, and also an editor of such translations. He has been the author or coauthor of more than 100 articles and several books on acoustics, including the recently corrected and reprinted NONLINEAR ACOUSTICS. Currently, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Springer-Verlag series "Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing". FROM THE REVIEWS: JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA "...the fact is that Bayer emerged with a work that is truly worthy of a professional historian (who would likely lack his understanding of acoustics and the chronological perspective); it is scholarly yet it makes a fascinating read. Don't be fooled by the subtitle TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF ACOUSTICS - there are many allusions to the past, including the Hellenic era, the Renaissance, etc....In summary, [this book] is destined to become a classic in its genre." APPLIED MECHANICS REVIEW "Very few people in the world would even attempt the monumental enterprise subject of this book. To produce a coherent and enlightened summary of two centuries or work in any requires a very special person: One who not only understands it all, but who has taught it all, and has personally contributed to its development over many years; one with the patience and scholarship to research it all, historically and technically, and then coherently summarize it in a pleasant narrative, while documenting it with countless examples and citations to the key discoveries in the world literature. Such a person is Robert T. Beyer, educator, linguist, physicist, scholar extraordinaire, and administrator, all combined into a very warm human being. No wonder the resulting book is so remarkable and informative. A very hard-to-follow world class act...The book is a true pleasure to read. It should be required reading for any graduate student planning to enter a career in acoustics. Physics and/or engineering undergraduates will also benefit much from it, and will anyone who wishes to learn more about the history of this fascinating field from one who has studied and studied it masterfully." NATURE "Robert Beyer's engagingly written history of the subject since 1800 tells the whole story, and may help restore some sparkle to a Cinderella subject. It is liberally supplied with period illustrations and anecdotes, while maintaining a high standard of technical accuracy and completeness...It would be unrealistic to expect such a general book to give a definitive review of every specialty, but Bayer has made a very creditable stab. This good combines good science with being a good read. It should make its way into many libraries, and onto many bedside tables."


Book Info
Presents the first complete history of acoustics over the past two hundred years, described by one of the preeminent members of today's acoustical community. DLC: Sound--History--19th century.


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Sounds of Our Times: Two Hundred Years of Acoustics, the first complete history of acoustics over the past two hundred years, described by one of the preeminent members of today's acoustical community, presents a fascinating portrait of the work of brilliant individuals, the development and use of technology, and the interactions of different parts of the field. The author steers a course between the largely anecdotal history of Dayton C. Miller (Anecdotal History of the Science of Sound, 1935) and the meticulously researched effort of F.V. Hunt (Origins in Acoustics, published posthumously in 1978). Sounds of Our Times: Two Hundred Years of Acoustics begins after the period covered by Hunt and follows new developments in the subject almost up to the present day. It also chronicles the development of organizations of acousticians, especially that of the Acoustical Society of America, and contains many historical illustrations never before available in a single volume.


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