Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older Hardback: How Memory Shapes our Past - Tapa dura

'It is a joy to read with chapters on déjà vu, savants, trauma and first to last memories, providing a fresh and cogent look at how and why we remember.' Publishing News

'Douwe Draaisma, a historian of psychology based in the Netherlands, has set out to report on a medley of scientific accounts of memory and experienced time with an eye for the bizarre. The result is a potpourri of a book, incorporating philosophy, neuroscience, case history, research, potted biography.' Sunday Times

'This is a book of many metaphors and some explanations, beautifully written and engaging from beginning to end.' The Oldie Magazine

'... full of fascinating, sexy, scientific concepts.' The Times

'... delightful ... His concerns range from the extraordinary memories and calculating powers of so-called idiot savants to the strange sensation of déjà vu, and the 'flashbulb memory' that apparently enables so many of us to recall what we were doing when we first heard of Diana's death (or in my case, Thatcher's resignation). It is for the richness of these anecdotes, and the sophistication with which he weaves them into his account, that Draaisma's book makes such a pleasing read.' The Guardian

'... a highly readable and erudite account of autobiographical memory ... A rich book for holiday reading.' Scientific and Medical Network

'Draaisma's exploration of how our lives are shaped by the remembered past is a wry and literate investigation of the history of psychology and of the human condition. The result is informative, amusing and moving. Long after you close it, it leaves a good memory.' New Scientist

'... one finishes the book with a heightened awareness of the complexity and the fickleness of human memory, and a genuine sense of pleasure at having encountered such a subtle, entertaining, and illuminating guide to the territory.' The Times Literary Supplement

'... fascinating.' Independent

'... clarity and accessibility for a general audience ... He is a terrific writer, whose erudition and passion for the topic are apparent in every page.' Nature Medicine

Douwe Draaisma is Professor of History of Psychology at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He is the author of Metaphors of Memory (Cambridge, 2001).