Hi there,

in the "My impressions/ criticisms of RTK" it was advisable to read a book about memory techniques when starting with RTK1. Unfortunately I have no book to recommend, I'd be very interested what other people here on the forum might suggest reading, though.

So what are the books you'd highly recommend reading or not-reading, and why?
Any other helpful advise on mnemonics?

cheers

B.

PS: I can't figure out how to link to said post, sorry...

For about $35 you can download a pdf file of Dominic O'Bryan's book "How to develop a perfect memory" (out of print) from Lybrary.com. I like this one pretty good. I didn't so much like Tony Buzan's book. Jerry Lucas "Learning how to learn" was pretty good. Of course "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas is a classic.

It's not a book, but I would recommend http://www.ludism.com/mentat which has lots of information about memory techniques.

CharleyGarrett Wrote:It's not a book, but I would recommend http://www.ludism.com/mentat which has lots of information about memory techniques.

I think he means http://www.ludism.org/mentat

There are a few packages on memory costing hundreds of dollars. I don't think there is any need to go that far. If you just look at reviews on Amazon.com you will find any number of good books.

Are the books worth reading? What do they help you improve?

nerdjnerdbird Wrote:Are the books worth reading? What do they help you improve?

Well, I think most of them are about mnemonics and peg systems to help you remember stuff. For example, you can tie a phone number into a mnemonic which is easier(?) than just remembering a string of numbers. They are selling a system to help you remember things.

a really cool book is

MIND PERFORMANCE HACKS by Ron Hale Evans (not to be confused with his other book MIND HACKS) part of the OReily hack series.

this book covers memory techniques such as numbers, journeys, major system, dominic sysytem, hotel dominic, couplets etc etc

but the book isnt just about memory, it has tons of other sections too such as

information processing - be quicket at handling info - i.e. how to write faster, note ideas better

creativity - how to create/find ideas (this isnt a black art)

math - mental arithmetic hacks etc

decision making - game theory, dominant strategies etc

mental fitness - warming up your brain, overclock your brain, snap into attention.

The best thing about the book is each topic has references to other books which explore the topic in more detail. Its one of those books i think if you were to put it on your coffee table it would get a lot of attention from friends despite it sounding nerdy.