Eavesdropping: An Intimate History

by John L. Locke

Why we can't resist listening in on our neighboursEavesdropping has a bad name. It is a form of human communication in which the information gained is stolen, and where such words as cheating and spying come into play. But eavesdropping may also be an attempt to understand what goes on in the lives of others so as to know better how to live one's own. John Locke's entertaining and disturbing account explores everything from sixteenth-century voyeurism to Hitchcock's 'Rear Window'; from chimpanzee behaviour to Parisian café society; fromprivate eyes to Facebook and Twitter. He uncovers the biological drive behind the behaviour, and its consequences across history and cultures. In the age of CCTV, phone tapping, and computer hacking, this is uncomfortably important reading.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Social Science

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Raja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great insights into the sources of our desire(s) for privacy, mixed with more information than I cared to know about sixteenth century France and England, and some completely incorrect observations. I appreciate any scholar's willingness to embrace the utter terribleness of most human behaviors.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideas seem a little romantic - complex social things boiled down and packaged a little too neatly around a couple of ideas - but its an interesting read! And there's a new slant on inner/outer lives, privacy and trust that I hadn't thought about before.

Its short and good and there's pictures of keyholes opening each chapter.

[Octavian · Rating 5 out of 5]

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