Encompassing all facets of popular interest in dreams, this general interest resource provides a broad overview of contemporary studies of dreaming, and sheds light on notions of dreams from around the world. The first part of the book is an encyclopedia of 276 brief (two pages or less) alphabetical entries on topics related to key figures in the study of dreams, dreaming, and the unconscious, scientific concepts related to dreaming, dreams in literature, art, and film, common dream themes, and ideas about dreams from different cultures and in different historical periods. The second part of the book is a dream dictionary, offering short interpretations of 1,000 dream symbols. The interpretations are meant to be suggestive rather than definitive, showing how to explore the range of possible meanings of a symbol. B&w photos are included. Lewis teaches religious studies at DePaul University. Oliver is an energy psychology therapist. The book is distributed in the US by Independent Publishers Group. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)