Bells

Music, Art, Culture, and Politics from Around the World

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Pub Date 18 Oct 2022 | Archive Date 25 Oct 2022
Girl Friday Productions | Girl Friday Books

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Description

Discover the magic and mysticism of bells around the world, including their political and religious power, their musicality, and their familiarity in daily life.  

We live in a world of bells but seldom notice them. However, bells have existed in all cultures since earliest times and are one of the world’s most remarkable artifacts. They have been the “voice” of God and Buddha, a talisman for early monastics, a source of glorious music, and part of many sacred rituals. Yet, they have also been the clocks, school bells, fire bells, and shop bells of daily life. The Song of the Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of these bells, their political and religious power, their wide-ranging musicality, and their familiarity in our everyday lives.  

The stories range from the recently discovered chimes of Ancient China to the music of carillons and change ringing to reindeer bells in Arctic Norway to the surprising bell that is on the International Space Station. Other stories explore Buddhist bells in Japan and Tibet, the famous African bells of Benin, Russian bells, early Christian bells in Scotland, the Liberty Bell and Big Ben, bells on trains, cable cars, and circus wagons, and two bells brought up from lost ships to serve as memorials for their crews.  Illustrated with 130 photographs, this beautiful book brings bells out from the background of our days to create a living history of this amazing musical instrument.  

The book is inspired by her great-grandmother’s trip around the world where she collected small bells almost one hundred years ago. Whitehead inherited these bells, which led to her own journeys that included crossing the Pacific to see the famous bells of China, finding peace in the Buddhist temples of Kyoto, interviewing the Sami reindeer herders in Arctic Norway, visiting with master bell ringers in London and Florida, and attending the launch of a space shuttle and conversations with the astronaut who suggested putting a bell in the International Space Station.  

The book will interest bell collectors, musicians, and fans of musical instruments, as well as museums, universities, and libraries that have musical instrument collections. It will also appeal to general readers interested in cultural history, particularly the popular field of “commodity history,” similar to Mark Kurlansky’s books Salt, Paper, and Salmon.   

Discover the magic and mysticism of bells around the world, including their political and religious power, their musicality, and their familiarity in daily life.  

We live in a world of bells but...


A Note From the Publisher

Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61440833-bells

Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61440833-bells


Advance Praise

"The most profound and interesting book on bells I have ever read. Beautifully written and illustrated, it places the history and culture of bells in an international context rarely found in musical literature."

Mark Regan, Former Ringing Master, Worcester Cathedral, England

"The most profound and interesting book on bells I have ever read. Beautifully written and illustrated, it places the history and culture of bells in an international context rarely found in musical...


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Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781954854734
PRICE $34.95 (USD)
PAGES 288

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Featured Reviews

A historical picture book on the origins and usage of bells throughout the ancient to modern world. A great look for history buffs and fantasy writers hoping to add a bell or two to their work.

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Wow. Absolutely spectacular!

The work that went into this book is amazing! Comprehensive research about not just iconic bells from around the world but really to the beginning of time.

My favorite is 'Bells and their Music'.

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher Indelible Editions for the opportunity to read and reviews this fascinating book!

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An absolutely stunning coffee table book with the rich golds and blacks of the cover. This one delves into the magic and mysticism of bells around their world, from their political to religious power, and their prevalence in daily life. From Tibet to Kyoto to Ancient China to Philadelphia to London to the Arctic and more – this one will have you staring in awe at the beauty of these photographs from around the world, and the music and chimes that have been the background music to centuries of history.

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