We all know about them. We've all had them. But let's face it; we don't have a clue what they mean. They're freaky dreams.

From talking pets and naked friends to apocalypses and prophecies, this is an assorted compendium of dreams - the weird, the wacky, and yes, the somewhat disturbing. Author Adele Nozedar (The Element Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols) is compiling the freakiest dreams from around the world, each ranked with its own freak-o-meter rating, and offering an analysis. As you browse through the dreams and the accompanying signs and symbols, you'll learn how to look for the symbolism in your own dreams and analyse them for yourself.

Complete with tips on how to have a lucid dream (the kind where you know you're dreaming and can even control it), fun fact boxes explaining dream theory, and even a small journal section at the back of the book for writing down your dreams, this is the ideal book for your bedside table.

The book also includes case studies from famous people who have had freaky dreams that led to great creative moments. Mary Wollstonecraft actually had a dream about her famous monster at the tender age of 19, before she put pen to paper to write her masterpiece Frankenstein. Paul McCartney claims that during the filming of the Beatles' movie, Help, he was taking a nap and the song 'Yesterday' came to him fully formed in a dream. The inventor of the sewing machine, Elias Howe solved the design of the machine's needle one night when he dreamt that angry natives had taken him prisoner and were shaking their pointy spears at him. The spears had holes near their sharp tips and this gave him the eureka moment he needed to refine his machine.

So the next time you wake up confused, embarrassed, ashamed, or oddly aroused, you'll be able to figure out why.