Rating: 
Summary: A place to start
Review: Higbee's book, Your Memory, is a combined survey of mnemonic techniques and systems, with supporting research, and an introduction to memory - processes, myths and misconceptions, basic techniques. It contains numerous examples of memorizing lists, numbers, names, and faces. The chapter on study skills I found useful. But its relative lack of examples illustrating the application of mnemonic systems to complex, abstract material was frustrating.The book progresses smoothly and logically. Higbee's style is clear and readable; though his analogies are awkward, the explanation of which often taking up more space than the concept they were meant to illustrate. Touted as a practical guide, I found it more of an introduction and a defense of the benefits of memorization - and a good one at that. Throughout he includes research supporting the effectiveness of the techniques he describes, references to other textbooks and guides, and explanations for why some material is remembered better than others. Higbee uses the first three chapters to dispel some common misconceptions of memory, such as the belief that it is a thing rather than a process, and to describe what memory really is and how it works. Chapters four and five form the core of the book. In these chapters the basics are described: meaningfulness, organization, association, attention, repetition, and context. The rest of the book is largely built on these principles. Higbee covers the Link and Story, Loci, Peg, and Phonetic mnemonic systems. Enough detail for each is given that, with practice, the reader can master them for memorizing things such as to-dos, names and faces, speeches, concrete facts, dates, and numbers. He tantalizingly mentions that they can also be used for memorizing material beyond facts and figures, such as abstract concepts, but fails to provide more than cursory instructions on how to do so. The instructions to substitute abstract words and ideas for concrete ones are well taken, but insufficient information is given on how to systemically apply memorization techniques while reading a history book, for example. Higbee also describes the synergy obtained combining some of these mnemonic systems. I would recommend this book as a good starting place but with the proviso that it is not a workbook. Higbee himself stresses that efficiency in these techniques only comes with hard work and practice - but you will have to provide your own homework. It is also important to keep in mind that these techniques will not magically create a photographic memory (the existence of which Higbee largely dispels) nor will they prevent you from ever forgetting anything again. What you will get are processes for *improving* the chances of recalling needed information.
Rating: 
Summary: Great explanation of memory concepts backed up with evidence
Review: I do a lot of reading on study skills and bought this book because of good reviews on Amazon.com. I'm about 2/3 the way through the book and have found it excellent. The book teaches basic concepts that you will see in other memory books. Instead of just stating the principles it describes how they have been tested to prove why they work.
One other note about this book, it focuses on the realities. No crazy promise, nothing mysterious, just facts about improving study habits and retention. Well done. I can't wait to finish the book and re-read it.
Rating: 
Summary: highly over rated !!
Review: I have dozens of memory books in my shelf. I had been eyeing this book for sometime on the site but somehow didn't have a good feeling about it. But impressed by the reviews written here, i finally decided to add this book to my array. But i was very disappointed. This book is more of a research work. The author gives account of his ardous and meticulous research carried out in the field of memeory. But this book doesn't adequately teach a layman the application of various tools of memory in detail. The book is full of stuff like experiments conducted by the author on students, etc. etc. Moreover, this book is too wordy. There are some excellent and far better books in market which concentrate more on the practical aspects of memeory techiniques rather than laying too much stress on research. Buy this only if you need research information on memeory. Harry Lorayne is the king of memeory. Try books written by him.
Rating:
Summary: It's my memory Bible!
Review: I have read Kenneth L. Higbee's "Your Memory" and without a doubt, it is the best book out on improving your memory. I have read all of Harry Lorayne's books and the mnemonic system, especially the peg system was much harder to learn than Higbee's. Higbee's explanations why and how mnemonics works was so clear and precise that I was able to put them to use immediately. For instance I was able to remember the calendar for 2003 in minutes and still remember it after a month. And I don't forget names, appointments and errands anymore. I did feel however, that I wanted to know more about HOW to teach children to use these systems. He told us briefly how he taught his 3 and 4 year old daughters to remember the 10 commandments using the peg system, and I was quite impressed, but I felt I wanted to read more in depth how he was able to do this. I have an 11 year old grandson with ADD who has a hard time with his spelling assignments and would like to know how I could teach this system to him. I would like to see him write another book, or update this one with a chapter on how to teach these systems to young children to help them to be better students. Learning disorders are almost an epidemic these days. Higbee could write about how these systems could work for them. In the final analysis, I would recommend this book, over all others on memory, to anyone wanting to improve their memory! It's the best yet!
Rating:
Summary: Compared to "The Memory Book"
Review: I read this book before I read "The Memory Book" by Lorayne and Lucas and found that much of the same material is covered in both, but in entirely different ways. It's really an "either or" decision between the two based on what you want to gain. Personally, between the two books, I prefer Higbee's book because of his thorough examination of memory, its history, case studies, analogies, and anecdotes. I find it to be inspiring to see its great applications and that most people benefit greatly from these techniques. This style helped me to retain enthsiasm to learn and yet was written in a plain and often humorous style. "The Memory Book" has its own benefits. It lays everything out in easy to understand instructions and lists a few dorky "party tricks" you can do with some of the techniques (though who's really going to entertain friends with "memory feats"?). Lorayne and Lucas do offer something not offerred in Higbee's book: short chapters dedicated to using memory techniques for specific tasks such as learning music, stock symbols, sports plays, or locations. These chapters make up a small portion of the book and could easily be read off the shelf at a local bookstore. To sum up, both books offer up basically the same exact memory techniques. It's up to your own learning style to decide which one you prefer.
Rating:
Summary: Compared to "The Memory Book"
Review: I read this book before I read "The Memory Book" by Lorayne and Lucas and found that much of the same material is covered in both, but in entirely different ways. It's really an "either or" decision between the two based on what you want to gain. Personally, between the two books, I prefer Higbee's book because of his thorough examination of memory, its history, case studies, analogies, and anecdotes. I find it to be inspiring to see its great applications and that most people benefit greatly from these techniques. This style helped me to retain enthsiasm to learn and yet was written in a plain and often humorous style. "The Memory Book" has its own benefits. It lays everything out in easy to understand instructions and lists a few dorky "party tricks" you can do with some of the techniques (though who's really going to entertain friends with "memory feats"?). Lorayne and Lucas do offer something not offerred in Higbee's book: short chapters dedicated to using memory techniques for specific tasks such as learning music, stock symbols, sports plays, or locations. These chapters make up a small portion of the book and could easily be read off the shelf at a local bookstore. To sum up, both books offer up basically the same exact memory techniques. It's up to your own learning style to decide which one you prefer.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I thought Kenneth Higbee's book was a great analysis of memory and different techniques of how to improve it. After reading this book I memorized a chapter summary of every chapter in the New Testament, and I can tell you what day of the week you were born on if you give me the date. A+
Rating:
Summary: This book saved my life ....
Review: Last spring, a huge anvil was dropped on my head from a 200 ft. building. From then on, I began to have serious memory lapses. So then Cindy says to me, "your nose is whistling..." See? What was I writing about? Memory, right. This book "Memorial to your brain" was a godsend. I learned that memories are special and are to be cherished, like fresh cut mangoes. And that a memo is far more than words scribbled on paper. It's a statement about you. So always seek to improve your memo's by studying grammar and creative writing. Finally, never forget to remember your memories.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a book, a way of life
Review: Many times, I have recommended this book as a starting point for learning of memory. First chapter "What can you expect from your memory? Ten myths" explains a lot about this book. Kenneth Higbee gives clear, precise, and psychological examples of memory, and memory functions. Kenneth does adhere to the psychological aspects of memory and backs up his claims with his chapter notes. Kenneth claimed to have read some 800 scientific papers on memory in the construction of this book. Kenneth goes deep into mnemonics and other memory tricks throughout this book and anyone wishing to know much on memory should read this book. There are many good memory books -some I have reviewed- that are excellent records on the subject of memory. After having read many memory books I still enjoy Kenneth's point of view, however there are many other very good memory books on the market. Other persons might need an alternate view on other aspects of memory, as I did. In closing, Kenneth's book is exceptional and outstanding. In addition, this book exceeded my expectations for a "memory and how it works." I would refer to the previous reviews of this book because they are very correct in their separate summaries of this book. This book is special in many ways: pure information, references, memory techniques, history, just to name a few. Persons cannot fully explain this book in a limited review because of the sheer wealth of information contained in this publication. Sheer richness contained in a spectacular book.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Reference Point
Review: This is a really great book. I remember reading some of it about 10 years ago from an old library version, and I have just read the updated version. It is a wealth of knowledge compared to other books that read more like fluffy new age pop psych on memory techniques.
The author is a researcher and professor, but the book is actually very accessible and delivered with both enthusiasm and reasonable caution where it is needed. I believe the one measure of the success of this sort of book is the range of strategies given, together with the principles used to guide their use, and the research used to verify the efficacy of certain strategies.
I have heard quite a few memory myths in my time, (the 99% brain disuse statistic, and the "perfect memory" quote, and the single killer memory application, amongst others), and this book puts them all straight. In fact if you are kind enough to inform others about improvement of memory skills using this book, you can give some really accurate knowledge, and be doing them a lot of good.
Learning to learn is lifelong. This is a great learning guide and a reliable reference point!
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