‘A lively, intelligent and persuasive history of speech...Expertly and patiently explained’ The Times

Why are humans the only living organisms that can speak? And why is this important? If you've ever felt the surprise of hearing a recording of your own voice, you understand how significant your voice is to your identity. We judge others – and whether we trust them – not only by their words but also by how they speak: their tone, timbre, and accent.

"Now You’re Talking" explores the full range of our voice – how we speak and how we sing; how the anatomy of our voice works; what happens when something goes wrong; and how technology allows us to imitate and manipulate the human voice. Trevor Cox talks with vocal coaches who help people develop their new voice after a gender transition, with recording producers whose use of technology has transformed the singer's voice, and with computer scientists who are replicating the human voice in the development of artificial intelligence.

Beginning with the Neanderthals, "Now You’re Talking" leads us up to the digital age – with the terrifying prospect that soon we'll be hearing more ‘Unexpected item in the bagging area’ than a friendly ‘Hi, how are you?’ on the street.

Pages: 320, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm