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Art of Memory (Hardcover)

by Francis A. Yates (Author)

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Once in a very great while, historical scholarship produces a book which makes one immediately begin re-thinking many of one's major suppositions about the thought systems of the past. Professor Yates has given us such a book."--Norman D. Hinton, The Modern Schoolman --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Art of Memory is the classic study of how people learned to retain vast stores of knowledge before the invention of the printed page. In it, Frances A. Yates traces the art of memory from its treatment by Greek orators, through its Gothic transformations in the Middle Ages, to the occult forms it took in the Renaissance, and finally to its use in the seventeenth century. This book, the first to relate the art of memory to the history of culture as a whole, was revolutionary when it first appeared and continues to mesmerize readers with its lucid and revelatory insights.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (August 1974)
ISBN-10: 0226949990
ISBN-13: 978-0226949994

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,572,797 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover

Citations (learn more)

100 books cite this book:

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Sight and Spirituality in Early Netherlandish Painting (Studies in Netherlandish Visual Culture) by Bret L. Rothstein in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
In the Soviet House of Culture: A Century of Perestroikas by Bruce Grant on page 138, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Electronic Media and the Transformation of Law by M. Ethan Katsh in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	84% buy the item featured on this page: Art of Memory 3.9 out of 5 stars (15)
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	4% buy The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci 3.9 out of 5 stars (20) $10.88
	3% buy Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition 3.9 out of 5 stars (10) $25.20

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If "revelatory" weren't such a big word, I'd use it!, July 9, 2000

By	M. L. Arnautov "Mike Arnautov" (Bucks., UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Art of Memory (Paperback)

A book about memory? Mnemonics, eh? Dull stuff...

WRONG!!! This is just about the most engrossing scholarly work I have ever read. Quite apart from displaying a masterly grasp of her subject, which is far more interesting than I would have believed before reading the book, Yates throws fascinating light on a number of seemingly unrelated topics: the Roman art of rhetoric, the architecture of the Globe theatre, the foundations of Renaissance syncretism, the rise of the scientific method, the delightful irony of a patron saint of science turning out to be an arch-magician, psychological aspects of imagination... -- the list is a long one.

However, for me, it is Yates' illumination of the profound relationship between the scientific method and earlier attempts at mastering the universe by magical means, that stands out as a single, most important aspect of the book. In fact, I would go as far as to say that no study of history and/or philosophy of science can be complete without acknowledging and exploring the relevant insights of "The Art of memory".

If you have any interest in human attempts to comprehend and control the universe, a well-thumbed copy of this book should be on your bookshelf!

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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A thorough, academic study of an ancient art, December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Memory (Paperback)

Yates does an admirable job of researching this art. She begins, as many before her, with the tale of Simonides and his invention of the loci method of mnemonics. She also captures the scope and breadth of an art which traditionally formed part of the liberal studies of any educated westerner, be he Greek, Roman, or German. Yates leads the book towards a more occult vein when she studies Bruno and some of the medieval contributors to this practice. In the book's most interesting moments, she suggests that the Renaissance thinkers' search through the ancient memory treatises directly led to the search for method that Descartes, Bacon, et al. ruminated upon to create the modern foundations of science. Though this is a well-researched, and at times interesting book, the read goes slowly. Many of the themes and ideas appear in an overly repetitive fashion. Further, it is not a 'how to' book but a book on the history of an idea; one will know little about the improvement of memory and all the claims of the ages appear to be tricks at best. The spectacular memories of a few individuals seem less associated with a method and more a function of physiology. Whether or not this ars memoria should be reinstated seems questionable even after this long essay. Worth a read if you have the time and interest; can lead one on a thought-provoking journey with patient reflection.

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42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent exploration of a forgotten art, September 12, 2002

By	Kevin S. Kennedy (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Memory (Paperback)

If you are fascinated by history or by scholarship throughout recorded time, you should enjoy this book. Francis Yates has created a detailed examination of memory techniques and their evolution over the course of generations. Beginning in ancient Greece and continuing through the Middle Ages, Yates shows how the art of remembering began as a sort of parlor trick and developed into an important skill in both religion and the occult. The influence from both individuals and cultures is described in a scholarly (yet not annoyingly so) way. While this book is not for everyone, its intended audience should be delighted.
NOTE: This book is not a "how-to" manual for memory. It provides only a very general description of memory methods and is instead an exploration of the history of the art.
An excellent companion piece to this book is _The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci_. Both books were listed in the acknowledgements of Thomas Harris' _Hannibal_.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A history of memory
This is pretty much an exhaustive coverage of the memory mansion technology, where a person creates a virtual space and symbols and associates information with each symbol. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Taylor Ellwood

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. It will change your views on Architecture and the Mind.
I consider this one of the most important books I have ever read. It changed my views on ancient and medieval architecture, memory, and the mind. Read more

Published 12 months ago by William J. Romanos

1.0 out of 5 stars History book with no methods for application
The author states more than a few times that "I myself have never applied these methods for remembering. I am only a historian of the art. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Richard S. Sarvate

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will change your life
Quite simply one of the dozen or so most amazing books of history ever written. It will change your idea of history, art and even your own memory. Read more

Published on May 13, 2007 by Christa Walder

1.0 out of 5 stars Definitely pass on this one
I bought the book because recently I have been into the personal mastery thing like increasing your memory, reading better, and so on. Read more

Published on September 22, 2004 by Mariano Apuya Jr

1.0 out of 5 stars An arduous, fruitless journey into trivia and occultism...
Yates has produced what may be the most scholarly historical work on memory. And, like most pedantry, it takes a Herculean effort to finish it-and perhaps an even greater effort... Read more

Published on June 10, 2002 by Johnny Lee

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This is reasonably hard going, as all Yates books are, but it really a great read. Complex and deep. Something to open your eyes to a older (and forgotten) world.

Published on July 17, 2001 by Steve Armstrong

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book
An incredible book and very historical in nature. I would refer to the previous reviews of this book in the light of their individual statements. Read more

Published on July 9, 2001 by J. Reich

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
A unique and detailed historical account of the Art of Memory. This one is a "keeper."

Published on June 10, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to change one's world-view
I ran into this book after having learned over 3000 Chinese characters through what turned out to be Art of Memory techniques. Read more

Published on April 25, 2000

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