Mark M. Smith. A Sensory History Manifesto.

Abstract

Primer, prospectus, and jeremiad, this small, ­­elegantly written book, A Sensory History Manifesto, is addressed to those interested in the state of sensory history, and especially to those who presume to write it. Mark Smith’s claim that he is “in very small part, responsible for” (3) the growth of the field is almost ridiculously modest: author, coauthor, or editor of many books and articles on the history of the senses; editor of two book series in the field; and he is regarded as the preeminent scholar of the senses in US history. His purposes here are to recover the genealogy of the field, to promote its utility across the discipline, to caution fellow practitioners against making errors that will reduce its rigor and appeal, and to suggest topics that might prove susceptible to a sensory approach. Smith is generous to his colleagues and for the most part doesn’t name...