Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture. Edited by Robert J. Hoss, Katja Valli, and Robert P. Gongloff. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2019. 2 vols. Acid-free $182 (ISBN 978-1-4408-5616-7). E-book Available (978-1-4408-5617-4), call for pricing.

Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture is a two-volume reference work that aims to educate readers about sleep and dream research. According to the editors, the work covers “evolutionary perspectives on sleep and dreaming to the most current research into the neuroscience, as well as current psychological theory, therapeutic application, and the artistic and cultural treatment of dreams” (xii). Intended for students and researchers interested in current understandings of dreams and how we study them, this is a valuable addition to the literature, as most dream reference guides focus primarily on artistic and cultural responses to dreams.

Dreams is divided into four major sections focusing on the biology of sleep and dreams, dream content, the psychology of dreams, and dreamwork and cultural practices. Each section is further divided into chapters, which group together essays on different aspects of a single theme. The essays in each chapter and the chapters in each section build upon each other to guide the reader through current understandings of dreams in a coherent and logical manner.

One of the main features and strengths of this work is the amount of research incorporated into the essays, which are each written by experts in the field. All of the essays make significant reference to published research, and many further include data in the form of tables and charts. Several essays also detail dream research methodologies and ways to conduct dreamwork.

This two-volume set is intended to be used together, as indicated by the continuous pagination and the location of the cumulative list of references and index at the end of volume 2. This work is an excellent tool for the student or researcher who is looking for a comprehensive introduction to the research being done on various aspects of dreams. It is less well suited for general audiences seeking discussion of popular aspects of dreams, including dream interpretation. Because of the lack of similar reference works on the science and psychology of dreams, the incorporation of significant amounts of current research, and the thoughtful organization of the material, Dreams is recommended for academic libraries.—Shaunda Vasudev, Outreach and Engagement Librarian, Capital University, Bexley, Ohio