The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders

1991, Hardcover with dust jacket, 298 pages

YA-- This excellent source on a topic that affects everyone is readable, well designed informative. Its utility as a research source, as well as its value as general interest reading, insures that it will be a frequently requested book. In addition to the well-written and clearly cited source entries, Thorpy includes excellent essay histories of sleep as a field of study. He also provides information on centers for the study of sleep and international sleep disorder classifications. A book for natural and behavioral science students.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

It is hard to determine the target audience for this bulky and expensive reference work; the 800 alphabetically arranged entries range from ordinary terms--"accident," "evening shift"--to technical jargon--"terrifying hypnagogic hallucinations" (found under "T"!). Many terms appear under "sleep" or "sleep-related," which seems redundant in a reference on sleep. Coverage is erratic--why include Parkinson's disease, but omit epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neurology, and even autonomic nervous system? The two long introductory essays on history and psychology of sleep are unfocused and rambling and add little to the usefulness of the encyclopedia. A better bet for public libraries is Peter Hauri and Shirley Linde's lay guide No More Sleepless Nights ( LJ 5/1/90).
- Evelyn L. Mott, Palm Beach Cty. Lib., West Palm Beach, Fla.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.