MEMORIA TECHNICA, OR METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL MEMORY
(MEMORY). GREY, RICHARD
Published by Printed for J. Vincent, Oxford, 1824
Used
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Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
AbeBooks Seller since March 21, 2000
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180 x 110 mm. (7 x 4 1/4"). xxiii, [i], 216 pp. Contemporary speckled calf, smooth spine with gilt rules, black morocco label with gilt lettering. Verso of title page with red ink "Duplicate" stamp of the library of Bernard Zufall. â Joints a little rubbed and flaked, edges worn and slightly bumped, but the binding quite secure, and the contents very fresh and clean. First published in 1730, this work instructs the reader on a system of mnemonic devices for rapid and precise recall, applicable to a wide array of studies. Aimed at educated gentlemen as well as students, the method does not purport "to teach those to remember everything who never could remember any thing," but rather seeks "to enable them to retain, with certainty and exactness, what they have already a general and competent knowledge of." The system requires the reader to first memorize a table of consonants and vowels associated with a particular number (for example, a & b = 1; e & d = 2, etc.), then use these equivalences to form a new word encoding names, dates, and figures. For instance, if you wanted to remember that the Roman Emperor Trajan began his rule in the year 98, you would think of the word "Trank" (with "Tra" standing for Trajan, and "nk" standing for the numbers 9 and 8 respectively). Thus Adrian, whose rule began in 117 becomes "Adribap," and Phillip, who ruled from 244, turns into "Pheff." Besides its applications for historical names and dates, the author demonstrates how the method can also be used in geography, astronomy, weights and measures, and even learning languages such as Hebrewâ "albeit with ever more complicated formulas. For instance, it may require some mental gymnastics to remember the diameter of Saturn (D-orb-Satasob-les-teis) or the velocity of a cannon ball (Glob-M-apha-sec). Although the method may seem confusing and overly complex in the era of Wikipedia and Google, there was clearly a demand for it, as the "Memoria Technica" remained in print for 130 years. Richard Grey (1696-1771) was an English clergyman and, in the words of DNB, "a man of many remarkable gifts, which found expression in widely varying ways." The present work is considered Grey's most important contribution and a monument of creative teaching methods; it is also a delightful relic of an era in which memorization was an art form, and answers could not yet be summoned with a simple click of the mouse. The present copy comes from the library of magician and memory expert Bernard Zufall (1894-1971), known as the "Human Encyclopedia." Zufall amassed the largest known collection of books on mnemonics, in excess of 1,000 titles, which (except for duplicates like the present work) he donated to Yale University. Seller Inventory # ST19478e
Bibliographic Details
Title: MEMORIA TECHNICA, OR METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL ...
Publisher: Printed for J. Vincent, Oxford
Publication Date: 1824
Edition: A New Edition, Corrected.
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MEMORIA TECHNICA; OR, A NEW METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL MEMORY
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Printed and Sold by B. Thorn [et al.], Exeter, 1778
Used
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Fifth Edition. 175 x 107 mm. (7 x 4 1/4"). 2 p.l., xvi, 159, [27] pp. Contemporary plain calf, smooth spine with elaborate gilt decoration, red morocco label with gilt lettering. Verso of title page with red ink "Duplicate" stamp of the library of Bernard Zufall. âJoints with a little wear, and upper joint with a one-inch crack at head, edges and corners a little rubbed and bumped in places, boards with light scratches, but the binding very secure, and the contents in fine, fresh condition. First published in 1730, this work instructs the reader on a system of mnemonic devices for rapid and precise recall, applicable to a wide array of studies. Aimed at educated gentlemen as well as students, the system is designed "not to make the Memory better, but Things more easy to be remembered." It requires the reader to first memorize a table of consonants and vowels associated with a particular number (for example, a & b = 1; e & d = 2, etc.), then use these equivalences to form a new word encoding names, dates, and figures. For instance, if you wanted to remember that the Roman Emperor Trajan began his rule in the year 98, you would think of the word "Trank" (with "Tra" standing for Trajan, and "nk" standing for the numbers 9 and 8 respectively). Thus Adrian, whose rule began in 117 becomes "Adribap," and Phillip, who ruled from 244, turns into "Pheff." Besides its applications for historical names and dates, the author demonstrates how the method can also be used in geography, astronomy, weights and measures, and biblical information--albeit with ever more complex rules. For instance, it may require some mental gymnastics to remember the diameter of Saturn (D-orb-Satasob-les-teis!) or the velocity of a cannon ball (Glob-M-apha-sec). Although the method may seem confusing and overly complex in the era of Wikipedia and Google, there was clearly a demand for it, as the "Memoria Technica" remained in print for 130 years. Richard Grey (1696-1771) was an English clergyman and, in the words of DNB, "a man of many remarkable gifts, which found expression in widely varying ways." The present work is considered Grey's most important contribution and a monument of creative teaching methods; it is also a delightful relic of an era in which memorization was an art form, and answers could not yet be summoned with a simple click of the mouse. The present copy comes from the library of magician and memory expert Bernard Zufall (1894-1971), known as the "Human Encyclopedia." Zufall amassed the largest known collection of books on mnemonics, in excess of 1,000 titles, which (except for duplicates like the present work) he donated to Yale University. Seller Inventory # ST19478f
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