At the beginning of the art of memory you should know that the art is completely contained in two concepts. The first is the locus. The second is likeness or symbol. On the subject of the first one, the locus, you should know that the loci are called doors – on houses and on rooms. And also all other things which are distinctive and which are different from each other. Like a large window, an oven, a table, and those sort of things, which always stay still in one place. If you want to learn many words you will need many loci. When you have many loci you will then need a house. Choose a house that is familiar to you. Start at the front door, and count all doors on the right hand side, from one room to the next. Carry on like that. And if the house is large and has many doors and rooms, the more it has the better it is. But if it does not have many rooms take several houses, one after the other, and take good note of the number. When you have a hundred doors that is enough, but if you have more, so much the better. These doors must be so familiar to you that you can remember them backwards or forwards.

Page 1

Home

Page 2