The Art of Sound: A Visual History for Audiophiles By Terry Burrows Thames & HudsonThe Art of Sound: A Visual History for Audiophiles In 1877, Thomas Edison, already famous as an inventor and entrepreneur, used a tinfoil-covered cylinder to make a crude recording of himself speaking the words to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The era of recorded sound had begun. “The Art of Sound” tells only part of the story of this era, but that part is told with eye-popping visual beauty.