Someone suggested to the Bodleian Library on Twitter that they should post recordings of ambient library noises on their SoundCloud. I initially misread this as ambient literary noises, like the sound of the snow in Narnia melting… the slight tearing noise made by the Subtle Knife as it opens the way between universes… the ghosts of Christmas tenses manifesting to Scrooge…

That got me thinking about more ambient literary noises that I would like to hear.

Pan piping at the gates of dawn.

Aslan roaring.

The wind in the Mallorn trees of Lothlorien.

The tower of owls in Gormenghast.

The sound of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster being mixed.

The waves breaking on a beach on Bethselamin.

Peter Pan tapping on the window.

The crackle of The Power being activated.

The strong steady wingbeats of a dragon of Pern.

The Hogfather making his rounds.

The robin singing in the Secret Garden.

Maurice and Alec Scudder sneaking off to the boathouse.

Cloudberry the gnome setting off to Spitsbergen with the wild geese.

The sound of the snow compacting under the weight of Iorek Byrnisson as he pads through the wilderness.

The wind whistling past Lee Scoresby’s balloon & flapping Hester’s ears.

What ambient literary noise would you like to hear for real (assuming that from a safe distance is an option)?

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