So many articles and books cite Frances Yates' "The Art of Memory", but it seems almost nobody has actually read it judging by which parts are typically cited.

So many articles and books cite Frances Yates' "The Art of Memory", but it seems almost nobody has actually read it judging by which parts are typically cited. After years of nagging curiosity (especially after reading "Moonwalking with Einstein") I eventually dove in and found it fascinating. The book has little concern for mnemonics, per se. Instead it traces the evolution of the Method of Loci from a humdrum technique taught to every student in Plato's time to an obscure technique only monastics practiced (almost unknowingly) in the Middle Ages to an esoteric aspect of Renaissance paintings that had nothing to do with mnemonics. Of course, much of it is based on thin evidence given that after Ancient Greece very few people ever wrote about the method itself--IIRC, by the time of Cicero who obliquely referenced it, it was probably beginning to wane as a purely practical method of instruction, and by the time of Augustine it's roots and original function had likely already been forgotten. But she makes a very cold, scholarly (at least scholarly to someone lacking a Ph.D in ancient literature or art) and utterly persuasive argument. In particular, it partly explains practices like the Stations of the Cross, which are central to the architecture of Christian cathedrals. And it helps to explain the evolution of the use of sophisticated and, over the centuries, increasingly esoteric symbolism in European art--far beyond what is typical in other cultures. Perhaps most importantly, though, it really helps to frame much of Plato's philosophy: the usefulness of the Method of Loci was (arguably) to Plato a reflection of the superiority of ideas over physical manifestations; when you're using the Method of Loci, and your memory in general, you're [more closely] interacting with real reality. IOW, the Method of Loci was like Machine Learning today: a practical yet seemingly magical technique that some eager scholars believed hinted at deeper truths about the mind and human experience. To anybody who liked "Moonwalking with Einstein": if you found the historical bits interesting, and are up to less entertaining reading, though still fascinating journey, I highly recommend "The Art of Memory".