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Would someone recommend a good book on teaching memory - mnemonics. I am interested in learning a card stack.

Thanks
DaveD

There is always Mnemonica by Juan Tamariz. Simon Aaronson teaches a great stack as well. If your preference is to be able to memorize a deck in less than 5 minutes, study the memory material by Harry Lorraine, who will teach you how to remember almost anything. Thanks to Harry, I can memorize a deck in a few minutes, and I can memorize a list of one hundred items almost as quickly as it can be created. Wonderful stuff to read, and he is rather entertaining to
boot.

-Steve

Harry lorayne has a good selection of books on memory feats. Most memory systems are based on the 'peg' system which is something that Lorayne uses. It's also found in the work of Aronson and at the back of Hugards encyclopaedia of card magic where the Nikolla card system is explained. My only piece of advice is do not under any circumstances start one peg system and then start reading another as I once did (as my head exploded!). All the systems vary in slightly different ways. You'll confuse the hell out of your brain when you're trying to automatically remember things if you change systems - although it can be done.

Some methods are more suited to card memorisation such as Aronson. But if you just want to be able to recall 50 random objects then the mnemonic system in 13 steps is more than adequate.

K

There's a whole chapter in Naked Mentalism 3 that explores different memory techniques. The best technique depends on whether data is stored for serial access or random access.

The Memory Book by Harry Loraine, or anything by Dominic O'Brien, particularly Quantam Memory, on CD. Nothing else you need. Those resources cover everything.

You may need to be a bit selective. Dominic O'Brien's system is great but I can't use it; you need to be able to produce clear visual images, which I can't do - I think in words. The system which works best for me is a phonetic one from an old Tony Buzan book; many years ago I used a modified version of it to memorise 300 tax cases for an exam.

Generally, though, I second the recommendation for Harry Lorayne's books.

Barry

The primary source(s) have been noted but not everyone can learn through the classic Roth-based associative memory system due to the odd redundancy they encourage. I've found this common with ADHD & Dyslexic individuals. This is also how & why my own Easy Reading "method" came into being, evolving out of the Paul Hadley word code system (Easy Reading is available through Lybrary.com or mevproshop.com the Hadley book can be found at Hades Publishing in Canada or here http://www.amazon.com/develop-mental-magic-Paul-Hadley/dp/B0007EL1SE )

Traditional systems encourage you to use an abstract memory anchor that in turn links to the thing you are trying to recollect e.g. you end up with two things you are attempting to remember. My system on the other hand, takes information most any 4th grade child would know and applies it with associations. In other words, if you know your alphabet and how to count from 1 to 1,000 (or more) you can use this technique at the mnemonic level, as a code system, and as part of your cold reading arsenal (based on Richard Webster formulas).

Also understand that there is a big difference in learning how to use this type of memory trigger and actual memorization.

Since it's techniques for memorising a stack you're after, I'll second Mnemonica by Tamariz as a great source. He gives a wide variety of complementary techniques. The one that I found best initially was making my own associations, using my own personal references. Once you're up and running, reinforcement is the way to get it quick. There are apps for that, or you can just mark up a deck. But definitely get Mnemonica, it's a gem.

The original system that a lot of mnemonic material is derived from is the Roth Memory Course, which is in the public domain and freely available for download at: http://archive.org/details/rothmemorycourse1918roth
"The" card code is in there, as demonstrated by Vernon and Freeman on the Revelations tapes. There are loads of other things too, like a knight's tour and the day for any date. I liked it so much I bought a hardback copy.
Another early source is Bernard Zufall: http://www.lybrary.com/bernard-zufall-m-116.html

If you're simply looking to learn a memorised deck, I can wholeheartedly recommend Doug Dyment's "QuickStack" (Now updated to the improved "QuickerStack").

It's a very easy system (around 30 minutes to learn - longer to become quick and slick at recall and conversion, obviously) and is taught in Doug's characteristically systematic and thorough manner.

Either buy the QuickStack system on its own here for $20: LINK

Or pick up the full Mindsights book for $35 (including the stack, work on magic squares, musings and other effects): LINK

Out of interest, this is a very funny parody of a life guru (the excellent Nick Mohamed) trying to teach an audience memory techniques and making a complete dog's breakfast of it all: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tt5pw