Description: How discoveries about sleep and dreaming might have been made: a novel by a pioneering sleep researcher casts an eighteenth century aristocrat as its scientific and romantic hero. This enlightening, entertaining, and intriguing novel begins as a story within a story―or a story within a trunk. A Frenchman―our narrator, presumably the author Michel Jouvet, or a literary version of himself―buys an antique chest with brass fittings, labeled with the initials HLS and a partially worn away date, "178-." Happy to have such a handsome piece for his hallway, the narrator is surprised to find within it bundles of ancient papers tied with string. He has discovered the dream journals, experiments, and correspondence of eighteenth-century amateur scientist Hugues la Scève. With Jouvet, a recognized authority on sleep and dream research, as our guide, we follow la Scève's quest to unlock the mystery of dreams. In his chateau and elsewhere, la Scève undertakes a series of complex and often comic experiments: he records his own dreams and speculates on their relation to waking life; he studies sleeping cats, rabbits, and other animals (and observes rapid eye movement almost two centuries before modern science discovers it); he records the sleep and dream experiences of a Swiss soldier and a pair of Siamese twins. And, because sleep and dreams are often in close proximity to the erotic, he considers the relation of dreaming and sexual activity, heroically undertaking first-hand research with various women (with the notable exception of his wife). La Scève's fantastic experiments and discoveries have a solid scientific basis: Jouvet has transposed some of his own cutting-edge research to the context of the eighteenth century―when scientific knowledge was more limited, but the joy of scientific study was more widespread. La Scève's experiments are a testament to the power of scientific observation. The tale that Jouvet discovered buried in the old chest could have been true. Books will be packaged with great care and ship via USPS Media Mail. If you are ordering from Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico a $30.00 surcharge MAY or MAY NOT apply. If the surcharge is not added to the price we are charged for shipping, the $30.00, or any portion of the $30.00 not charged to us will be refunded. Thank you. Please take a look at the many other comics we have listed, there's always a great variety, and we often have related issues, and a good number of complete collections, as well as many Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age comics. We also have thousands of magazines, zines, pulps, and science fiction & fantasy paperbacks that we don't have listed yet, so if you are seeking something in particular, contact us, as there is a decent chance we'll have it. We ship internationally through ebay's Global Shipping Program. Return policyWe take great care in giving accurate and detailed descriptions of our books and comics, and always package them safely and securely. Please take a good look at the photos and contact us if you have any questions before purchasing or bidding. We hope you have no cause to return an item, but if you do we offer 30 day returns. Standard ebay return policies are followed. FeedbackIf you are happy with your purchase and the service, please leave positive feedback, and we will reciprocate right away.If you are not happy for any reason, please contact us at your earliest convenience. Thank you!
Price: 9 USD
Location: West Hartford, Connecticut
End Time: 2025-01-14T17:30:51.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.38 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Personalize: No
Signed: No
Personalized: No
Inscribed: No
Book Title: Castle of Dreams
Number of Pages: 344 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: MIT Press
Item Height: 0.9 in
Topic: Fantasy / General, Fantasy / Historical, Science Fiction / General
Publication Year: 2008
Genre: Fiction
Item Weight: 17.8 Oz
Author: Michel Jouvet
Item Length: 8.3 in
Item Width: 5.6 in
Format: Hardcover