Ageless Memory Review: Do Harry Lorayne’s Tips Still Work?

If you want to know whether or not Ageless Memory by Harry Lorayne is worth reading, the answer is yes.

Up until his death at age 96, Lorayne remained sharp as a whistle.

And you don’t have to take my word for it.

They streamed his 96th birthday on YouTube and you can decide for yourself just how his memory and mental cognition held up until the very end.

Personally, I’m both inspired and astonished by Lorayne’s longevity.

And I can’t wait to be this on-the-ball myself when I reach his age. Thanks to the tips in this book, I’m confident I will.

So to say that I’m a fan of Ageless Memory would be an understatement.

In fact, I think it’s Lorayne’s best memory improvement book and in this Ageless Memory review, I’ll tell you why.

Who Was Harry Lorayne?

Harry Lorayne is a legendary memory teacher and world class magician.

Born in 1926, Lorayne had a hard childhood. He literally grew up in a ghetto.

Worse, his father used to punch him for getting poor grades.

As Harry Lorayne told me in an interview back in 2013, he was never scared about failing school. He was afraid of getting hit and the pain it caused him.

His father died when he was twelve, but the failing grades persisted. One day, Lorayne paused and wondered why other students were doing better on their tests.

And it dawned on him that a big part of the problem was his memory.

So Lorayne went to the library and discovered memory techniques in what he told me were some “dusty old books.” One of them was the Rhetorica ad Herennium.

Over the years, Lorayne practiced these techniques and developed his intelligence. Then, he decided to share the knowledge with others by writing about mnemonic techniques for a mass audience.

We’re all glad that we did because his books have made a huge impact on learners around the world.

His first memory book was How To Develop a Super Power Memory, published in 1957.

Many of his other books include variations on the core teachings he shared in this initial publication.

But we’re so glad that he continued putting out memory training. And now that he’s in his 90s, he’s still inspiring us by sharing his life and his many accomplishments.

And he’s still performing magic tricks, as you can see in this video:

For more on Lorayne’s incredible life and legacy, check out my full profile and tribute.

Ageless Memory Review: What You Need to Know

Ageless Memory is for readers of all ages, but Lorayne is clearly addressing this book to those who may be suffering what he calls “senior moments.”

That’s why Lorayne spends time addressing the many myths we have about aging and memory.

But probably what you most want to know is:

Will the tips in Ageless Memory Work for Seniors with Memory Loss?

The answer might frustrate you, because it depends on the current situation.

There are many reasons why you might be experiencing memory loss, for example.

So although you will benefit from reading this book, you do need to think about the source of your memory loss and consult a doctor.

The Difference Between Ageless Memory and The Memory Book

There are two core differences between these books.

First, whereas The Memory Book was co-authored, Lorayne wrote this book on his own.

Second, Lorayne addressed some of the criticisms he’s received over the years.

For example, you get crisp chapters on memory science. When I interviewed him back in 2013, his attitude was that people did not want to hear about the science.

In the Internet age, that has proved not true. And it was refreshing to see Lorayne finally discuss how memory works.

As a result, Lorayne not only wrote a more substantial memory improvement guide. He increased the accuracy of his teaching.

The History of Memory Techniques

Finally, Lorayne gives us a deep dive into some of the key figures who were so essential to him being able to improve his life by improving his memory. The historical data alone is worth the price of admission so that you can look up some of these historical figures on your own.

I loved this part because so many times Lorayne wrote off his sources. He would just say that he learned memory techniques from “dusty old books” he read in a library.

Finally knowing his sources means that we can all go and check them for ourselves.

The Strongest Parts of Ageless Memory

The rest of Ageless Memory describes how to make your brain remember just about anything. These parts of the book range from activities that teach you specific mnemonic strategies to specific ways that you can use them to achieve a range of learning goals.

As usual, Lorayne is very strong when it comes to keeping things simple. His clear writing style makes it easy to learn the basics of association through the use of mnemonic imagery.

You learn:

• Linking
• Tactics for remembering names
• How to memorize vocabulary
• How to remember numbers using the Major System
• The pegword method

Next, since many people in Lorayne’s age group need to take medication, he discusses how to remember when to take your pills. This is fantastic because Jim Samuels is the only memory improvement author I’ve seen cover this important topic.

Beyond that, the biggest part of the book covers the application of the techniques to names and faces.

I feel this particular skill is well chosen because so much of life’s pleasures come from social occasions. And being with others is vastly enhanced when you can remember people’s names, both during the meetings and when enjoying memories of meeting with people later. 

Finally, the book goes into a lot of fun activities that will keep your brain sharp, such as learning Morse Code, memorizing scripture and applying memory techniques to memorizing cards.

This final skill is especially wonderful for seniors. Not only will you win more often while playing games with friends. You’ll also enjoy the brain exercise provided by card games at the same time.

The Best Part Overall

For years, I’ve cautioned readers of this blog that mnemonic examples are a dead end for people who truly want to learn to use memory techniques.

Ageless Memory is the first time I’ve heard Lorayne address this issue. But perhaps reviewing Rhetorica ad Herennium, which also contains arguments against mnemonic examples, prompted Lorayne to also make the point loud and clear:

As I’ve told you, you’re better off “thinking up” your own ridiculous or impossible pictures. When I’m teaching the idea, however, I have no choice but to give you examples or suggestions. The reason you’re better off creating your own is that then you are forced to pay attention to, concentrate on, the two items. My suggestions—my help—may not really be helping you. But if you are aware of that, if you use my suggestion but really see that picture in your mind as if you’d thought of it yourself, then that’s all right.

Lorayne is more patient than I am, however. I’m not convinced that it is alright to just “really see” his suggestions in your mind.

And that leads us to one of the two weaknesses in the book.

My Only Two Criticisms Of Ageless Memory

In my view, there are only two things that will date Ageless Memory.

• The book is picture oriented, but we now know that some people can’t easily picture images due to aphantasia or other forms of mental experience.
• Lorayne goes out of his way to avoid using the term, Memory Palace.

Let’s discuss each of these on their own terms.

Can You Make Use of Ageless Memory If You Have Aphantasia?

Possibly not.

Because Lorayne is so picture and image-oriented, people with aphantasia may feel frustrated.

Don’t worry, however. You can still seek out another memory improvement book that includes more multisensory elements. Most of mine, including The Victorious Mind provide that coverage.

Second, although Lorayne discusses “loci,” he seems to go out of his way to avoid discussing the obvious extension of this technique by not mentioning Memory Palaces at all.

No one is sure why he avoided this term even though it is well known that the method of loci and Memory Palaces are the same technique. Jonathan Levi was completely confused by this omission and Lorayne seemed quite combative about the topic during an otherwise epic interview about his work.

Perhaps the reasons why Lorayne was so recalcitrant about this particular term throughout his career will have to remain a mystery. Even his obituary in Genii Magazine mentioned this aspect of his character. And it was unusually short given how important Lorayne was for both memory students and magicians.

In any case, I was delighted to find that in Ageless Memory Lorayne finally moved one step closer to discussing Memory Palaces by mentioning loci quite a few times.

Should You Read Ageless Memory by Harry Lorayne?

Absolutely, yes.

But if you’re a reader of this blog, you know that I believe we should all read as many memory improvement books as we can get our hands on.

This is because “one” is the most dangerous number in all learning endeavors. We want to expose ourselves to as much knowledge as possible.

But I also believe that of all Harry Lorayne’s memory books, Ageless Memory is the best. It includes everything that made his earliest books great. But he went further by finally including some of the science and history people constantly asked him about.

And by defining a specific audience, Ageless Memory helps us all a lot more. After all, we’re all aging.

But our memory does not have to suffer the effects, and Harry Lorayne remains not only an incredible leader in the field.

He lived masterfully and like Tony Buzan, Lorayne made it impossible not to see for your own eyes how impressive memory techniques can be when you make them part of your daily life.

If you’d like help learning these techniques in addition to reading Ageless Memory, feel free to grab my free course:

I don’t shy away from using the term Memory Palace and give you four free video tutorials and worksheets that walk you through using them.

And if you ever wind up in the Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass, you’re in for a treat.

Because my interview with Lorayne is packed with so much information he normally kept private, I’ve always made it exclusive to people who have this full program.

No matter how you learn these techniques, the key is to practice what you learn and to do so consistently.

Lorayne inspired me to do just that, and I’ll be forever grateful for his teaching and inspiration as I myself age.