Well, in a way, that's what books are, both fiction and non-fiction (especially memoirs). Think of Homer's Iliad -- it's a story of the ten-year siege of Troy.

Well, in a way, that's what books are, both fiction and non-fiction (especially memoirs). Think of Homer's Iliad -- it's a story of the ten-year siege of Troy... think of it as the bronze-age version of the WWI/WWII stories mentioned below. Interestingly (from a nerd perspective) it's a compressed memory -- when you suggest recording "all memories", well, that's going to be an awful lot to go through! I think we have to admire the authors who are good enough to take a story, and summarize it (ten years of war!) skillfully so that it's a great read, but doesn't take ten years to read.