The secret history of dreaming

Moss, the author of several books on dreaming (e.g., The Three "Only" Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence, and Imagination), now explores the impact of dreaming and coincidence on history. In the first half of the book, he discusses instances in which seers and dreamers have changed the course of history by gaining otherwise inaccessible information while also considering the history of dream interpretation and the history of dreams as inspiration in medicine and the arts. The book's second half presents the biographies of four remarkable and distinctive dreamers-Joan of Arc, Lucrecia de Leon (whose dreams predicted the defeat of the Spanish Armada), Mark Twain, and Winston Churchill. While certainly not adhering to the standards of academic history or psychology, the book is captivating, well written, and sure to please the casual reader. For most public libraries.-Mary Ann Hughes, formerly with Neill P.L., Pullman, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.