The Art of Memory

This unique and brilliant book is a history of human knowledge. Before the invention of printing, a trained memory was of vital importance. Based on a technique of impressing 'places' and 'images' on the mind, the ancient Greeks created an elaborate memory system which in turn was inherited by the Romans and passed into the European tradition, to be revived, in occult form, during the Renaissance. Frances Yates sheds light on Dante's __Divine Comedy__, the form of the Shakespearian theatre and the history of ancient architecture; __The Art of Memory__ is an invaluable contribution to aesthetics and psychology, and to the history of philosophy, of science and of literature.

One of Modern Library's 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century

In this classic study of how people learned to retain vast stores of knowledge before the invention of the printed page, 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.

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A reprint of the 1966 Chicago edition. It is copublished with Routledge, K.P. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

In this study of how people learned to retain vast stores of knowledge before the invention of the printed page, Frances A. Yates traces the art of memory from Greek orators, through the Middle Ages, to the occult forms it took in the Renaissance, and finally to its use in the 17th century. This study of memory looks at the history and development of memory enhancement. The book begins by looking at the ancient Greeks who invented a memory system based on a technique of impressing "places" and "images" on the mind. This technique was then developed by the Romans and Europeans. A history of human knowledge that focuses on Dante's Divine Comedy, the form of the Shakespearian theatre and the history of ancient architecture. It offers a contribution to aesthetics and psychology, and to the history of philosophy, of science and of literature. First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company