Renowned French otolaryngologist Jean Abitbol, a lifetime student of the human voice, takes readers on an unforgettable odyssey spanning man's first use of voice through the acquisition of language to the use of voice as an expression of self. With great wit and charm, Dr. Abitbol's narrative encompasses everything from the psychological to the physiological, from explaining the workings of the voice to celebrating the human voice's highest achievements. He describes a fascinating history of the voice, its origins, its course since the Homo Sapiens' first sentences, its episodes of hoarseness, and its achievements, from the newborn cry to the coloratura soprano, from the impersonator to the ventriloquist. After exploring what is known about the voice, Dr. Abitbol tells us what our voices are capable of. He examines what he describes as "the magic of the voice": the voice as a fingerprint, a reflection of our personality in expressing our sex and sexuality. A great portion of this odyssey is devoted to singing and singers, both to the complexity of singing in general and to lyrical singing, the intricacies of which requires participation of the mechanical, emotional, and cerebral systems. The mysteries of the voice unfold as Dr. Abitbol guides readers through the latest physiological and pathological research using examples of historical figures', patients', and celebrities' voices to explain how the ways in which the body moves affect the way the voice sounds and how vocal quality is unique to each human being. A unique tour de force of the human vocal instrument, Odyssey of the Voice changes the way we think about our voices.