How to Learn Memory Techniques from Moonwalking with Einstein

Moonwalking with Einstein is a book by Joshua Foer that is about the world of memory competitions and Foer’s experience training and winning the 2006 USA Memory Championship.

The Memory Techniques

Here are some resources to help you learn how to use the techniques from the book:

1. First Steps

The fastest introduction to the memory techniques is in our free ebook. You can read it in a couple of hours and get a basic overview of how the different techniques work.

After you read through the short booklet, create an account in our free memory forum where you can ask questions and get advice from experienced memorizers. We have thousands of pages of free content about memory improvement on this site, and if you ask your questions in the forum, we can point you at the resources you’re looking for.

2. Memory Techniques from the Book

Here are the main memory techniques covered in Moonwalking with Einstein:

• Person-Action-Object (PAO) System
• Method of Loci a.k.a., Memory Palaces
• Major System
• Ben System

For examples of how the Major System, Dominic System, and PAO System work, check out this video:

3. People Mentioned in the Book

Here is a list of people mentioned in Moonwalking with Einstein:

• Ed Cooke
• Ben Pridmore
• Dominic O’Brien
• Frances Yates
• Simonides of Ceos
• Giordano Bruno
• Kim Peek
• Daniel Tammet
• Cicero
• Dr. Yip Swee Chooi
• Gunther Karsten

4. Events Mentioned in the Book

The memory championships that were mentioned in Moonwalking with Einstein are:

• USA Memory Championship
• World Memory Championships

Since the book was published in 2012, memory competitions have gone online. You can try it yourself at Memory League and watch live matches with commentary on Memory Sports TV.

5. Additional Reading

After you’ve read Moonwalking with Einstein, you might be interested in some of these other books:

• The Art of Memory by Frances Yates is a history of memory techniques in European culture. It’s an academic historical perspective, so it doesn’t contain information about how to use the techniques.
• Rhetorica ad Herennium is a book from Ancient Rome that discussing memory techniques.
• De Oratore by Cicero also contains some ancient writings about memory techniques.

Also check out our list of the best memory books to read.

Memory Craft by Lynne Kelly wasn’t mentioned in Moonwalking with Einstein because it was published more recently, but it’s highly recommended.