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Bells: Music, Art, Culture, and Politics from Around the World
We live in a world of bells yet seldom notice them. But bells have existed in all cultures since earliest times, often playing powerful roles in history. They have been the “voice” of the Buddha in the East and the “voice” of God in the West. They have been talismans for early monastics, sources of glorious music, and parts of many sacred rituals. And they have been the clocks, school bells, and fire bells of everyday life.
From the recently discovered chimes of ancient China to the music of carillons and the surprising bell on the International Space Station, Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of bells, their political and religious power, and their wide-ranging musicality. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s trip around the world to collect bells and informed by her own world travels, Jaan Whitehead brings these stories to life in all their rich diversity. Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs, this beautiful book creates a living portrait of one of history’s more remarkable artifacts.
From the recently discovered chimes of ancient China to the music of carillons and the surprising bell on the International Space Station, Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of bells, their political and religious power, and their wide-ranging musicality. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s trip around the world to collect bells and informed by her own world travels, Jaan Whitehead brings these stories to life in all their rich diversity. Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs, this beautiful book creates a living portrait of one of history’s more remarkable artifacts.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 18, 2022
3113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 10, 2023
Bells? Can you really create a book on bells? Jaan Whitehead has proven that not only can you, it can be pretty good!
Whitehead covers a lot in a relatively short book. From the very beginning of when bells came into human existence, to the American Revolution, to even (my personal favorite) shipwrecks like the Erebus. It felt like there was something new to learn on every page. I would also highly recommend making this one of the books you purchase as a hardcover because the pictures are worth it. I think Whitehead wrote a really good book but it may not make new believers out of non-music or non-history lovers. For anyone interested in history or music, this is a book which should be on your list.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
Whitehead covers a lot in a relatively short book. From the very beginning of when bells came into human existence, to the American Revolution, to even (my personal favorite) shipwrecks like the Erebus. It felt like there was something new to learn on every page. I would also highly recommend making this one of the books you purchase as a hardcover because the pictures are worth it. I think Whitehead wrote a really good book but it may not make new believers out of non-music or non-history lovers. For anyone interested in history or music, this is a book which should be on your list.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
October 14, 2022
3 resounding stars
“The stories gathered here explore this world of bells; their magic and mysticism, their political and religious power, their wide-ranging musicality, and their familiarity in our everyday lives.”
Whitehead gives the reader tons of information on making bells and general history. So much information. I personally would have liked more about bells in music and less about bells on ships, trains, reindeer, and the International Space Station. She includes a substantial amount of information on Buddha and fifteen pages on Big Ben. Whitehead has a doctorate in political theory from Princeton. Information is presented in a formal scholarly fashion. I would have preferred true stories over historical facts occasionally. She does try to make the story personal with her grandmother’s bell collection and her own travels visiting and researching bells.
I found the section on Bells of War and Peace particularly fascinating – many were melted down for metal used in armaments, and how people tried to save the ‘best,’ most historical bells.
An avid handbell ringer, I was disappointed at the minimal information on handbells.
The author would sometimes make broad statements like, “the (Liberty) bell became an important symbol of the civil rights movement.” (I grew up in that era and don’t remember anything about the Liberty Bell as a symbol of civil rights.) Some statements seem more like opinion than fact. “The Liberty Bell started as a commemorative symbol, became a symbol of protest, then an icon of achievement, and now is vivid part of the struggle to find new understandings of what liberty means for the American people.”
The book has great pictures of bells from around the world. It even lists a few websites where these bells can be heard. The end of the book lists many books, resources, recordings and videos and an index.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“The stories gathered here explore this world of bells; their magic and mysticism, their political and religious power, their wide-ranging musicality, and their familiarity in our everyday lives.”
Whitehead gives the reader tons of information on making bells and general history. So much information. I personally would have liked more about bells in music and less about bells on ships, trains, reindeer, and the International Space Station. She includes a substantial amount of information on Buddha and fifteen pages on Big Ben. Whitehead has a doctorate in political theory from Princeton. Information is presented in a formal scholarly fashion. I would have preferred true stories over historical facts occasionally. She does try to make the story personal with her grandmother’s bell collection and her own travels visiting and researching bells.
I found the section on Bells of War and Peace particularly fascinating – many were melted down for metal used in armaments, and how people tried to save the ‘best,’ most historical bells.
An avid handbell ringer, I was disappointed at the minimal information on handbells.
The author would sometimes make broad statements like, “the (Liberty) bell became an important symbol of the civil rights movement.” (I grew up in that era and don’t remember anything about the Liberty Bell as a symbol of civil rights.) Some statements seem more like opinion than fact. “The Liberty Bell started as a commemorative symbol, became a symbol of protest, then an icon of achievement, and now is vivid part of the struggle to find new understandings of what liberty means for the American people.”
The book has great pictures of bells from around the world. It even lists a few websites where these bells can be heard. The end of the book lists many books, resources, recordings and videos and an index.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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April 11, 2023Deep dive into bells, old and new, from all over the world, big and little, even one in outer space. Fascinating.
Also - a very nicely produced book, well-designed and full of pictures.
Also - a very nicely produced book, well-designed and full of pictures.
October 19, 2022
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.
August 2, 2022
Bells: Music, Art, Culture, and Politics from Around the World, by Jaan Whitehead, absolutely blew me away. A beautiful book that also taught me so much about the history of bells, both through a general history and several stories that brought the big picture into focus.
I was initially interested in this book because I expected it to be a visual treat. It is! I was expecting a few interesting historical bits and maybe a few things that would fall more under trivia. Not only does the book go into more depth than I expected, it is all very interesting. I am not a collector (I own six bells and each has a special meaning for me, but they aren't part of a bell collection) and my knowledge of them was limited at best.
What really struck me, in addition to the intriguing stories of certain bells, was how much bells have been a part of everyday life for so long. I guess I sort of knew this, history includes many instances of everyday bells as well as special bells, but I had never put it together.
I would certainly recommend this to any collector as well as anyone who simply likes books that are beautiful to look at. If you're like me and don't really have much knowledge of bells but enjoy history and cultures of the world, this book will be a great read for you in addition to the pictures.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I was initially interested in this book because I expected it to be a visual treat. It is! I was expecting a few interesting historical bits and maybe a few things that would fall more under trivia. Not only does the book go into more depth than I expected, it is all very interesting. I am not a collector (I own six bells and each has a special meaning for me, but they aren't part of a bell collection) and my knowledge of them was limited at best.
What really struck me, in addition to the intriguing stories of certain bells, was how much bells have been a part of everyday life for so long. I guess I sort of knew this, history includes many instances of everyday bells as well as special bells, but I had never put it together.
I would certainly recommend this to any collector as well as anyone who simply likes books that are beautiful to look at. If you're like me and don't really have much knowledge of bells but enjoy history and cultures of the world, this book will be a great read for you in addition to the pictures.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
January 7, 2024
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ya’ll, this is a really cool book. It definitely looked interesting when I first got it, and the pictures are beautiful, but the more I read it the more I realized how cool it actually is.
First of all, this thing is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book. It has beautiful, enthralling, vibrant pictures that are interesting and unique. This is one of those books that there is so much to know about that you don’t even know what you don’t know until you start reading. I mean, we see bells in our lives everywhere, right? That is true, yes, but I also didn’t realize how pervasive they were in everything and everywhere until I started reading this book. Even if you browse through this book on someone’s coffee table (your own. Maybe!!) you can tell right away that there is so much to see and know about bells than you ever thought there was. Seriously, it was fascinating.
I loved how this book was broken up into parts, and basically these parts were about different bells throughout the world. The parts were “The World of Bells,” “The Bells of Asia and Africa,” “The Bells of Britain,” “The Bells of Europe and Russia,” and “The Bells of America.” Within each of these parts were sections about different bells. Two of my faves were “Visiting Iona: Scotland’s ‘Sacred Isle,’” and “Following the Reindeer: Arctic Norway.” I have been to the Isle of Iona in Scotland, and I had seen all the things Whitehead was talking about. I loved having backstory to those things, because when I was there, I realized how cool they were, and of course I read all the material in the museums and such that I could. But Whitehead brought a lot more depth, research, and insight. I have never been to Norway, but I loved the cultural descriptions and the sweetness of the relationship between the people and the reindeer and the cultural significance of it all.
This book has a ton of information about bells, as you might guess. I had no idea their relevance to music, art, culture, and politics. And there were so many beautiful bells! I seriously am wishing I had collected bells as I traveled throughout the United Kingdom last year. Alas, I’m sure they would have ended up being just cheap tourist trinkets instead of anything real and cool.
In addition to so much information about bells and their relevance to so many parts of culture, this book just has a lot of information about history and the backstory of areas in general in relation to bells. I really learned a lot, and I loved having the lens as the bell. It was fascinating.
I love nerding out on niche things, especially when I know so little about them. I felt like this book was so beautiful, so well-researched and well-written, and so informative and interesting. I would have loved to follow Whitehead in her travels, meeting the people she met, seeing the bells she saw, and learning the things she did. I obviously can’t do that, but I can read this book and that was a very worthy second.
I highly recommend this book for those looking for gifts for someone who loves cool cultural artifacts, someone who wants a beautiful, meaningful, and interesting, read, or even just a really cool coffee table book that is fun to look through, read lightly, or really delve into. I just think it’s a really great book that I enjoyed a lot.
Read my full review here: https://www.readingforsanity.com/2023...
Ya’ll, this is a really cool book. It definitely looked interesting when I first got it, and the pictures are beautiful, but the more I read it the more I realized how cool it actually is.
First of all, this thing is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book. It has beautiful, enthralling, vibrant pictures that are interesting and unique. This is one of those books that there is so much to know about that you don’t even know what you don’t know until you start reading. I mean, we see bells in our lives everywhere, right? That is true, yes, but I also didn’t realize how pervasive they were in everything and everywhere until I started reading this book. Even if you browse through this book on someone’s coffee table (your own. Maybe!!) you can tell right away that there is so much to see and know about bells than you ever thought there was. Seriously, it was fascinating.
I loved how this book was broken up into parts, and basically these parts were about different bells throughout the world. The parts were “The World of Bells,” “The Bells of Asia and Africa,” “The Bells of Britain,” “The Bells of Europe and Russia,” and “The Bells of America.” Within each of these parts were sections about different bells. Two of my faves were “Visiting Iona: Scotland’s ‘Sacred Isle,’” and “Following the Reindeer: Arctic Norway.” I have been to the Isle of Iona in Scotland, and I had seen all the things Whitehead was talking about. I loved having backstory to those things, because when I was there, I realized how cool they were, and of course I read all the material in the museums and such that I could. But Whitehead brought a lot more depth, research, and insight. I have never been to Norway, but I loved the cultural descriptions and the sweetness of the relationship between the people and the reindeer and the cultural significance of it all.
This book has a ton of information about bells, as you might guess. I had no idea their relevance to music, art, culture, and politics. And there were so many beautiful bells! I seriously am wishing I had collected bells as I traveled throughout the United Kingdom last year. Alas, I’m sure they would have ended up being just cheap tourist trinkets instead of anything real and cool.
In addition to so much information about bells and their relevance to so many parts of culture, this book just has a lot of information about history and the backstory of areas in general in relation to bells. I really learned a lot, and I loved having the lens as the bell. It was fascinating.
I love nerding out on niche things, especially when I know so little about them. I felt like this book was so beautiful, so well-researched and well-written, and so informative and interesting. I would have loved to follow Whitehead in her travels, meeting the people she met, seeing the bells she saw, and learning the things she did. I obviously can’t do that, but I can read this book and that was a very worthy second.
I highly recommend this book for those looking for gifts for someone who loves cool cultural artifacts, someone who wants a beautiful, meaningful, and interesting, read, or even just a really cool coffee table book that is fun to look through, read lightly, or really delve into. I just think it’s a really great book that I enjoyed a lot.
Read my full review here: https://www.readingforsanity.com/2023...
December 8, 2022
A perfect example for me of a book that fully engaged, despite it being on a subject I'd never have placed money on me reading about. The author had inherited a collection of souvenir bells from her great-grandma who had travelled the world in her seventies, for want of anything better to do, and partly inspired by that shows us the gamut of the world's bells. So we travel with her, crossing the planet and learning about temple bells in Japan weighing multiples of tons, and the most fragile-seeming Meissen handbells, and everything in between.
We start with the symbology of the bell, perhaps – what it and its sound means, and then the science – the techniques to found a cast metal one, and the tuning and playing thereof. And then we're off, being told a lot around the context for each and every bell, as well as a brief bit where relevant about the travel involved.
All of this is thoroughly and comprehensively pictorial, making this an Amber Books-styled photobook, almost, even if it has the 'Object Lessons' style of, as I say, bringing to your attention something so distantly adjacent to our everyday lives. The images can be too welcome when the writing gets a bit too deep – I failed to appreciate the Tibetan Buddhists' mandala as much as its musical companion, nor the yams and ceremonial art of Benin.
But this is a rich and interesting book throughout, on the whole. It doesn't manage to grasp a chronology, so the modern church bell we hear that is quite often automated is not mentioned, and social uses of ringing the things like the 'cancer clear' chimes that mean so much to so many people never get a look in. But I feel little need to say what is wrong about these pages and what they don't carry, for what they do is surprisingly enjoyable. A strong four stars.
We start with the symbology of the bell, perhaps – what it and its sound means, and then the science – the techniques to found a cast metal one, and the tuning and playing thereof. And then we're off, being told a lot around the context for each and every bell, as well as a brief bit where relevant about the travel involved.
All of this is thoroughly and comprehensively pictorial, making this an Amber Books-styled photobook, almost, even if it has the 'Object Lessons' style of, as I say, bringing to your attention something so distantly adjacent to our everyday lives. The images can be too welcome when the writing gets a bit too deep – I failed to appreciate the Tibetan Buddhists' mandala as much as its musical companion, nor the yams and ceremonial art of Benin.
But this is a rich and interesting book throughout, on the whole. It doesn't manage to grasp a chronology, so the modern church bell we hear that is quite often automated is not mentioned, and social uses of ringing the things like the 'cancer clear' chimes that mean so much to so many people never get a look in. But I feel little need to say what is wrong about these pages and what they don't carry, for what they do is surprisingly enjoyable. A strong four stars.
September 28, 2022
𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙎 : 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙘, 𝘼𝙧𝙩, 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 by 𝙅𝙖𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙
🔔We live in a world of bells yet seldom notice them. But bells have existed in all cultures since the earliest times, often playing powerful roles in history. They have been the "voice" of the Buddha in the East and the "voice" of God in the West. They have been talismans for early monastics, sources of glorious music, and parts of many sacred rituals. And they have been the clocks, school bells, and fire bells of everyday life.
🔔From the recently discovered chimes of ancient China to the music of carillons and the surprising bell on the International Space Station, Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of bells, their political and religious power, and their wide-ranging musicality.
🔔Although bells are prevalent in cultures across the world, the most important distinction in their historical development is between Eastern bells Land Western bells. As with many technological advances, bells in the East developed much earlier than bells in the West, creating two distinct historical lineages. The bells of these lineages also evolved with different shapes, sizes, and appearances.
🔔The one in the theme pictures is a Sugarleaf bell which we I use to pray as in Hinduism. It's always fascinating to know about the things that have always been around us. It's Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs, this beautiful book creates a living portrait of one of history's more remarkable artifacts.
🔔We live in a world of bells yet seldom notice them. But bells have existed in all cultures since the earliest times, often playing powerful roles in history. They have been the "voice" of the Buddha in the East and the "voice" of God in the West. They have been talismans for early monastics, sources of glorious music, and parts of many sacred rituals. And they have been the clocks, school bells, and fire bells of everyday life.
🔔From the recently discovered chimes of ancient China to the music of carillons and the surprising bell on the International Space Station, Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of bells, their political and religious power, and their wide-ranging musicality.
🔔Although bells are prevalent in cultures across the world, the most important distinction in their historical development is between Eastern bells Land Western bells. As with many technological advances, bells in the East developed much earlier than bells in the West, creating two distinct historical lineages. The bells of these lineages also evolved with different shapes, sizes, and appearances.
🔔The one in the theme pictures is a Sugarleaf bell which we I use to pray as in Hinduism. It's always fascinating to know about the things that have always been around us. It's Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs, this beautiful book creates a living portrait of one of history's more remarkable artifacts.
October 11, 2024
A beautiful, heartfelt, and very well-researched book about an item that is present in nearly every culture but almost always taken for granted. Try looking for another book on bells! You’d be hard pressed to find one, and it is brilliant that the author put the spotlight on what is always hiding in plain sight. Not only do you learn a bit about how bells are made, you hear so many stories about people and places and events from around the world, and even in space. I learned so much. I watched several youtube videos to better understand and connect with everything the book describes and each time was a really memorable experience that I probably never would have had otherwise. This will serve as a reference book to go back to again and again. Highly recommend!!
November 9, 2022
Inspired by her great grandmother, Nannie Spelman Melville, and her collection of hand bells, the author has written a fascinating history of bells across the world. With wonderful photographs and illustrations, this is a hugely enjoyable insight into something I had little knowledge of. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews