To Deborah Contents Prologue 1 The Most Reverberant Place in the World 2 Ringing Rocks 3 Barking Fish 4 Echoes of the Past 5 Going round the Bend 6 Singing Sands 7 The Quietest Places in the World 8 Placing Sound 9 Future Wonders Acknowledgments Notes Index THE SONIC WONDERS OF THE WORLD Prologue “Is it safe?” A noxious odor was invading my nostrils as I stared down the open manhole. The metal ladder disappeared into the darkness. I had assumed a radio interview on the acoustics of sewers would involve an