Metaphors of Memory

Whatismemory?Itisatthesametimeephemeral,unreliableandessentialtoeverythingwedo.Withoutmemoryweloseoursenseofidentity,reasoning,evenourabilitytoperformsimplephysicaltasks.Yetitisalsoelusiveanddifficulttodefine,andthroughouttheagesphilosophersandpsychologistshaveusedmetaphorsasawayofunderstandingit.Firstpublishedin2000,thisfascinatingbooktakesthereaderonaguidedtourofthesemetaphorsofmemoryfromancienttimestothepresentday.Crossingcontinentsanddisciplines,itprovidesacompellinghistoryofideasaboutthemindbyexploringthewaythesemetaphorshavebeenused-metaphorsoftenderivedfromthetechniquesandinstrumentsdevelopedovertheyearstostoreinformation,rangingfromwaxtabletsandbookstophotography,computersandeventhehologram.Accessibleandthought-provoking,thisbookshouldbereadbyanyonewhoisinterestedinmemoryandthemind.