Sleep and Wakefulness

Abstract

The reissue in revised and enlarged form of Kleitman's classic work, first published in 1939, is a service mainly to scholars, who will welcome a compilation of much of the world literature on sleep. But as a compilation, the book suffers badly from the author's unwillingness to weed out a host of worthless references, many of which are reported with disarming credulity. The extensive bibliography lists 4,337 titles, but unfortunately the format and typography make it very difficult to pick out the names of the authors, even though listed alphabetically. The index is inadequate, considering that the volume is mainly valuable as a reference source. In addition there are numerous typographical errors. The use of capital letters to indicate overlong terms, as BSRF, ARAS, LVFA, DTPS, would have been forgivable if a convenient glossary had been provided. The author certainly deserved better editorial assistance from a university press which should