People spend a good third of their lives lying down: sleeping, dreaming, making love, thinking, suffering and getting well. Bernd Brunner's ode to lying down is a rich exploration of cultural history and an entertaining collection of tales all in one, ranging from the history of the mattress to the 'slow living movement' and beyond. He approaches the horizontal state from a number of directions, but never loses his keen sense for the odd or unusual detail. Far from being a pose of passivity, lying down can be a protest, a chance to think or change a point of view.