What is memory? It is at the same time ephemeral, unreliable and essential to everything we do. Without memory we lose our sense of identity, reasoning, even our ability to perform simple physical tasks. Yet it is also elusive and difficult to define, and throughout the ages philosophers and psychologists have used metaphors as a way of understanding it. First published in 2000, this fascinating book takes the reader on a guided tour of these metaphors of memory from ancient times to the present day. Crossing continents and disciplines, it provides a compelling history of ideas about the mind by exploring the way these metaphors have been used - metaphors often derived from the techniques and instruments developed over the years to store information, ranging from wax tablets and books to photography, computers and even the hologram. Accessible and thought-provoking, this book should be read by anyone who is interested in memory and the mind.

杜威·德拉埃斯马是荷兰著名心理学教授。目前在荷兰格罗宁根大学主讲心理学史。著有《看不见的钟表：时间、机器与意识》(1990)《精神失调》等，编有《心灵实验室》(1992)。他的另一本专著《为什么随着年龄的增长时间过得越来越快》(2001)一度成为全国畅销书(已有中译本)。