The Memory Book : The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play

Rating:
Summary: ridiculous
Review: This is the most obnoxious book I have every attempted to read. You have to remember what the associations are before u remember what u want to remember. I am sorry that this book is not what I expected, along with the rest of his books. It is a lot of words and associations with meaningless values. Its not worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: On the very short list of absolute MUST READ books!!
Review: Harry Lorayne, a master magician and card entertainer, is also one of the world's leading memory experts. "The Memory Book" will change your life, literally. In the book, Lorayne describes in detail several memory techniques that, with a little practice, will have you remembering virtually anything you want. Among the techniques, the three I use the most are the Link, Substitute Words, and the Peg. The Link is used to remember any number of items, such as 20 objects, etc. The Peg is used to remember any number of objects in order. Using a phonetic type alphabet for numbers, that is, assigning a consonant sound for each number, Lorayne shows how to memorize numbers easily. The techniques really do work. Frankly, I've never spent so little for something that has changed my life so much. One testimonial is in order: I am a professional teacher. The first day of class I use one of Lorayne's techniques in my class that allows everyone in the classroom, including me, to remember the name of everyone else in the classroom. And it takes less than 20 minutes. The systems work. The only minor quibble I have with the book is that after reading this book, I also read widely in the area of memory improvement. Other books have used the identical techniques to improve memory, so I'm confused as to how much of Lorayne's techniques originated with him, or were borrowed from the literature. This minor point aside, you really do need to have this book on your "READ" list. A real treasure.

Rating:
Summary: My life is changed!
Review: I have had this book for only three weeks. I read it the day I obtained it (it's an easy read!). I have been slowly implementing the basics of what the book teaches you with AMAZING results! I am now able to remember things that I would have a very difficult time doing so in my usual "rote" method. With the rote method of memory, I found myself constantly frustrated that I would lose some of the items I spent time learning when trying to recall them later. My only recourse would be to go back and start over with that lost item using the rote method.

With the techniques learned in this book, not only did I look at the material only once, I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN IT! I know the techniques in the book sound silly, but that's the point! It's the silly things that capture our minds and keeps us interested. In a "silly" way, you learn the material in a manner you never thought of before. Harry mentions in the book that you are learning things in a different mode of thinking.

As others have stated, a good memory can be "trained". This means you have to have some faith when initially trying the techniques. You will stumble, but only for a moment. You have to learn how to sharpen the techniques. Another point is that initially, the techniques will take some time to administer and will, for a short time, take more time to implement than the rote method. For instance, the one activity that took a while for me was forming pictures and associations for substitute words. I had to take the "intangible" word and make it into one or more "tangible" words. Then, I had to associate those items carefully. This took a while, but what kept me motivated was the fact that I could recall everything I had learned thus far. So, while the process took some time, I never LOST ANYTHING! Since the example stated above, my speed at the process has been steadily improving. Again, your newly acquired skills, like ANY skills, have to be practiced and sharpened.

I have been learning the phonetic number system and I have a functional knowledge of it currently. I plan on sharpening that skill more before I attempt the "peg" technique. My goal is to learn all 100 pegs Harry has listed in the chapter, 10 at a time.

This book is a classic and you WILL be changed as a result of implementing what it teaches. But, you have to be ready to work for a while before seeing automatic application of the techniques. The bottom line is that the more you use it, the better you will get and you WON'T forget!

Rating:
Summary: This book is absurd
Review: An absurd collection of "memory party tricks" which are completely impractical for natural and long term memory development. Spare me all the gimmickry Harry boy!

Rating:
Summary: Easy. Effective. INCREDIBLE.
Review: I'm only half way through this book but am so excited by the results I felt compelled to share my experience right away. I have always considered my memory to be rather poor. But after using the VERY SIMPLE techniques in this book, I am capable of memorizing things many people would deem near impossible with minimal effort. The first exercise listed ten words: Airplane, tree, envelope, earring, bucket, sing, basketball, salami, nose, and star. Then provided a child-like way to not only remember all ten words but also in the sequence in which they were presented. Some might, at first glance, think that's simple, but try it without a method! I had them memorized in about fifteen minutes and now they seem to be permenantly etched in my brain; that was over a week ago and I just wrote them in this review from memory! The next exercise was a list of thirty words, most of which were complex and I had never seen before. That might impress some people, but these methods have real practical applications. Memorizing names with faces, speeches, numbers (phone, credit card, a 50-digit number if you so desire) are what I've learned in the first half alone - remember I'm only half way through. This is really awesome. Why isn't this mandatory in elementary school?

Rating:
Summary: I got it !!!!!!!!
Review: The book made me a student and a better person. Now I can make huge leaps in my college work, and I never forget anything on my honey-do list.

Rating:
Summary: Very practical and immediately applicable
Review: I have been using these techniques for about a month and I have noticed a significant improvement in my ability to remember things that I normally would have not, particularly telephone numbers. It is certainly a quick read, though I could have sumed up the basic points of the book on one or two pages. I highly recommend this book as a starter to anyone interested in improving their memory.

Rating:
Summary: Practical and a great help to students of all kinds
Review: Most everyone's memory can be improved. I got this book years ago and used it in school, but also to remember matrix tables when I learned card counting in blackjack. Ken Uston in his book on same said perhaps only 1% of the population can learn the highest levels of card counting no matter how hard they study, and I stink at math but still wanted to be one of the 1%. The book helped me memorize the matrix tables and calculate multiplication of amounts in decimals, run the sums through one matrix table, make more calculations, recall the next matrix table, and so on. All numbers, no inherently suprising or interesting mnemonic "hooks" to make the process easier, but with Lorrayne's techniques I got quite a lot of seemingly random info down cold.

Incidentally, I became quite good at the card game "concentration." heheh

I also used this book's techniques to help my poker game. Its applicability to poker specifically is in memorizing the odds, strategic concepts, and the cards dealt out. I made flashcards when learning 7-stud for both odds and strategic concepts using Lorrayne's techniques. Worked great. I also used the concepts to keep track of the cards that came out in 7-stud, where good card memory is very useful. I wasn't flawless at it, but quite often knew how many cards of every rank were dealt and how many were dealt of every suit. I took $200 to the Southern California casinos and within a few months was a regular winner at the $10/20 tables, and quickly after that at the $15/30 tables.

Hint: things that are absurd, violent, comical, sexual, perhaps even unpalatable -- anything that paints a bright, striking, or even jarring picture -- are the associations that are easiest to remember. Be creative and colorful and make yourself laugh when making associations up to help you remember things! No way anyone caught with my flashcards would ever be considered for parole.


Rating:
Summary: ridiculous
Review: This is the most obnoxious book I have every attempted to read. You have to remember what the associations are before u remember what u want to remember. I am sorry that this book is not what I expected, along with the rest of his books. It is a lot of words and associations with meaningless values. Its not worth the money.