The Art of Memory

The Art of Memory

Summary

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.

Reviews

  • Frances Yates is that rare thing, a truly thrilling scholar
    Michael Ratcliffe, The Times

About the author

Frances A Yates

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