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An expansive volume on dreams, this book truly is an encyclopedia with its depth of study and the extensive dream image dictionary. In over 550 pages, the book’s three sections are divided into the longest section—the “Encyclopedia of Images,” a section on archetypes (which also includes some images), and a chapter on nightmares. The introduction provides basic information to begin the reading with the alphabetized dream images following. These images are not given as fact but written in a way to aid the reader in examining what the images might mean to that person. For some of the dream images, there is an expanded definition, and the dream word is oftentimes added to through the author's use of “Insight.” The chapter on archetypes focuses on the work of Jung, and the section on nightmares offers his examination of some of his own and others’ fearful dreams, followed by his ideas on how to cope with them.
This is a book that should be in the library of everyone who is fascinated by dream work. In utilizing research, the work of various religions, philosophies, literature, and psychology, it covers ideas from Chuang Tzu to Edgar Allan Poe and from Meister Eckhart to Carl Jung, with a little J.K. Rowling thrown in. While one may not want to read all of the definitions, a beginning perusal of them can be very helpful. The author does an excellent job of focusing on what the dream means to an individual since no one can interpret what another person’s dream means with complete accuracy. The insight of the dream images, the research of these definitions, and the focus on the dreamer make this book an exciting addition to the work of dream analysis.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review