Kenneth L. Higbee

I loved it. It seems to be very well researched. At least every mnemonic technic is well explained. What I especially like is that the first part of the book explains what we know about how memory works. That makes the mnemonic part of the book more fun to read, less magical and more understandable. But don't get me wrong, 'more fun to read', still isn't 'funny and engaging read'. The way it's written is the only slight downside of this book. The focus of the writer clearly was on the show more 'matter' and less on the 'form'. Which is alright, because I bought this book for the 'matter'. Oh, another small disadvantage is the book is a bit dated. But I really don't know if that means a lot of groundbreaking memory knowledge is missing from this book. This two small negative points are the only reason for not giving this book 5 stars. Which is a break with my normally rigidly followed staring-system, in which a 5 star book means I will (probably) reread it. I will reread this book for sure. I really need to blow my card playing competitors out of the water. I've been losing my bridge games far too often :). This book will give me the edge I need. show less

Many of the mnemonic techniques Doctor Higbee describes are ancient and their refinements centuries old. Many of them precede the development and wide use of written language by humans as an aid to memory. The advantage of this book over other works on how to improve your memory is that he not only introduces the techniques of memory training, but also backs up the techniques by citing research studies that indicate which technique has been most effective depending on what information is to show more be memorized. Since this edition was published in 1996 the research is not the most up to date, but it is still handy to have so many citations to back up the information.

He also points out that the techniques are not a substitute for study. They are an aid to recall what has been studied. There is still the necessity of study, learning to use the techniques, and repetition to memorize the subject. And while the mnemonic devices are not a substitute for critical thinking, critical thinking and analysis depend on knowing the facts. show less

Overall this is a great book to help you grasp how your memory functions and ways to help remember things. It's biggest asset is on the study of memory and it's how's and why's. When it comes to the mnemonic practices it does go in depth on the methods, but can overwhelm you fast to the point where it seems a lot to try right away. I can see how a couple of further reads and practice would make this a must need book for anyone to improve their memory.

Overall this is a great book to help you grasp how your memory functions and ways to help remember things. It's biggest asset is on the study of memory and it's how's and why's. When it comes to the mnemonic practices it does go in depth on the methods, but can overwhelm you fast to the point where it seems a lot to try right away. I can see how a couple of further reads and practice would make this a must need book for anyone to improve their memory.