Book Review
Moonwalking with Einstein (by Joshua Foer)
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- Foer traces the history of the idea of memory palaces. He goes all the way back to Cicero in 100 BC, travels through the Middle Ages with St Augustine, and finally lands in the 21st century with eccentrics like Tony Buzan, the multi-millionaire “memory guru” and Ed Cooke, a British champion.
- What better way to drive home your argument than to practically demonstrate its truth? Once done with his reporting, Foer trains (for just half an hour a day) over the course of the following year, developing his memory palace. Then, he enrolls in the U.S. Memory championships, where he defeats the defending champion!
- I’ve been fascinated by memory palaces ever since I encountered Professor Moriarty’s character in the TV show “Sherlock.” This was back in 2016 and shortly after finishing the episode, I resolved to building my own memory palace. I did it — but not without help. One of the first things I encountered at the time was Joshua Foer’s TED talk. It’s been four years coming, but I’m glad I finally read his book.