Sound and Safe
A History of Listening Behind the Wheel
Karin Bijsterveld, Eefje Cleophas, Stefan Krebs, and Gijs Mom
Reviews and Awards
"Sound and Safe is not only a succinct description of the task car producers set for themselves nor just the title of the book; it could also describe the book itself: historically accurate, informative, neatly organized, and detailed, an accomplished academic work by four outstanding Dutch scholars--in short, 'sound and safe'...This is a book that should not be missing on the bookshelves of any student or scholar interested in sound studies."--Journal of Sonic Studies
"This wonderfully researched and written book charts the fascinating history of our relationship to the sound of automobiles. From the individual strategies and skills embodied in listening to the sound of our engines to the commercial practices that have standardized and marketed those sonic experiences. Sound and Safe is a major contribution to our understanding of the culture of the automobile."--Michael Bull, author of Sound Moves: iPod Culture and Urban Experience
"Most music is listened to in cars. Karin Bijsterveld and her colleagues in this fascinating well-researched book, part of the new interdisciplinary field of sound studies, trace mainly in European contexts how cars have become auditory bubbles cocooned from their surroundings."--Trevor Pinch, Cornell University
"Deeply researched, highly compelling, and utterly original, Sound and Safe will be of immense interest to scholars of sound studies, automotive culture, and cultural, business, and engineering history. In unprecedented detail, it explains the acoustemological history of automotive culture, explaining how cars were heard, why they were listened to in particular ways, and how their sounds and their silences have come to define the driving experience. A splendid, absorbing, and important book."--Mark M. Smith, University of South Carolina