There are few routines more precious than that of the bedtime story. In this groundbreaking anthology, Ben Holden explores the way we think about life, a third of which we spend asleep. He examines not only the science of sleep but also why we tell endless stories - even to ourselves, as we dream. Holden combines his own enlightened narrative with a treasure trove of timeless classics and contemporary pieces. Poems and short stories, fairy tales and myths, reveries and nocturnal tales - from William Shakespeare to Haruki Murakami, Charles Dickens to Roald Dahl, Rabindranath Tagore to Nora Ephron, and Vladimir Nabokov to Neil Gaiman - all are woven together to depict the journey of a night's sleep. The greatest contemporary storytellers reveal their choice for the ideal bedtime story: authors like Margaret Drabble, Ken Follett, Tessa Hadley, Robert Macfarlane, Patrick Ness, Tony Robinson, and Warsan Shire. Shut down your computer and turn off your mobile. Embrace it and get ready to immerse yourself with the ultimate bedside book, one you'll return to again and again. Filled with laughter and tears, moonlight and magic, Bedtime Stories for Adults provides the dreamy path to end the day - and begin the night.