1st Edition

The Strange Tools of Human Communication The Voice, the Pen, and the Lyre

By Ruth Finnegan Copyright 2025
258 Pages 39 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

258 Pages 39 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

258 Pages 39 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

The Strange Tools of Human Communication: The Voice, the Pen, and the Lyre is a thought-provoking exploration of the everyday tools of communication that weaves together history, art, and science to reveal how the voice, hand, and mind shape our shared experiences. Through a blend of scholarly research, personal insights, and field experiences – from the oral tales of Sierra Leone's Limba... Read more

1. A strange, magical, landscape  2. In the beginning was the voice  3. Pen, brush, and blade  4. Voice meets pen  5. The unawares communicating  6. The lyre with its music  7. The start of music  8. The mysterious world of intercommunicating  9. The hand of history  10. "Only connect … " 

Biography

Ruth Finnegan OBE is Emeritus Professor at the Open University, UK

“What I admired most was the book’s atmosphere of intelligent wonder. Finnegan writes like a scholar who still feels genuine astonishment at her subject, and that astonishment is contagious.… This is a thoughtful book for curious readers who don’t mind following an original mind down winding paths.”

- Literary Titan