This title tells the story of lost sensory experiences and forgotten passions. In 19th century France, bells were the symbols of their towns and objects of ecclesiastic and civic pride. Bell-ringing served practical purposes of communication, marking both religious and secular time, as well as calling citizens to pray, assemble, take arms, or beware of danger. Alain Corbin shows how the bells reflected the social, political and religious struggles of the time - to control the bells was to control symbolic order, rhythm and loyalties of French village life and country life.