Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming (1 Vol.) [Hardcover]

Carskadon (Author), Mary Carskadon (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The discovery of rapid eye movements (REM) in sleep and their association with dreaming by Kleitman and Aserinsky in 1953 led to major research into sleep and dreaming. This encyclopedia summarizes findings on the medical, biological, and psychological facets of sleep and dreaming for the public, the student, and the researcher. It does not address the popular concept of the meaning of dreams, as does the book reviewed above.

The book's editorial board and authors are highly qualified to write about their topics, having hospital and/or academic affiliations and many publications. A list of the contributors gives their affiliations and the entries they wrote. Diagrams, tables, and graphs illustrate many of the entries, most of which have current bibliographies attached.

All entries are signed and range from approximately one-half page to eight pages. Some are divided into sections; some have multiple authors for the different sections. For example, Blindness has two parts, "Dreams of the Blind" by Nancy H. Kerr and "Effects on Sleep Patterns and Circadian Rhythms" by Heinz Martens, each with its own bibliography. No persons are included as subjects, but many can be found by using the index. While most entries concern humans, a few, such as Birds and Canine Narcolepsy, provide comparisons and discuss research that may lead to human benefits. Some fascinating and unusual entries are Early Birds and Night Owls and Short Sleepers in History and Legend. Most entries will be easily understood by the layperson, but a few are oriented more specifically toward scholars and practitioners (e.g., Suprachiasmatic Nucleus of the Hypothalamus).

The volume has extensive cross-references. A few unsigned entries briefly discuss a topic and refer the reader to other entries. For example, Environment, about a column in length, begins, "The environment can impinge upon sleep in a number of ways" and then refers to 20 articles describing them. The index is very detailed. For example, Apnea, which has recently been in the news, is a four-page entry. The index lists that entry plus three other page references for apnea itself and then lists in indented form more than 50 other citations (sometimes with multiple page references) to concepts relevant to apnea.

The Board did not find any directly comparable title. Facts On File's Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders [RBB Ja 1 91] has generally much shorter entries and concerns itself more specifically with sleep disorders and organizations and specialists that deal with them. Large public and high school libraries, most academic libraries, and any medical center libraries affiliated with sleep research centers will find the Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming a most welcome addition to their shelves.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 703 pages
• Publisher: Gale Group; 1 edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028970853
• ISBN-13: 978-0028970851
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,510,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars A selected group of experts have created a book worth having, December 17, 2011

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James Minard - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreaming (1 Vol.) (Hardcover)

Mary Carscadon is an experienced and respected sleep researcher. When at Stanford, she created a useful test of sleepiness that's now widely used by the accredited hospital sleep centers (members of the Association of Sleep Disorder Centers).

The test, called the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is especially useful in detecting narcolepsy, a disorder that typically is undetected for decades. She directed a "Sleep Inn" for children and is an outstanding expert on children's' sleep.

For this encyclopedia, she assembled a capable group of experts. Although this 1995 book is about eleven years old as I write,I've found it more accurate and comprehensive than a number of other books on the topic. Every college, university, medical school and scholar should have a copy. I know of copies in law offices.

For those who simply want help with a sleep problem, the encyclopedia would not be appropriate unless their interest is scholarly and general. That's because the book is, well, "encyclopedic." (I hope that's not too obvious a statement, though I'm sure some will find it so.)

A book more devoted to your problem would be more helpful for those who want to be coached in dealing with their disorder. You'll find I've reviewed some that are effective, interesting and popularly written.