Roger Chaffin & Douglas J. Herrmann 
Memory in Historical Perspective [PDF ebook] 
The Literature Before Ebbinghaus

In 1885 Herman Ebbinghaus showed the world how the scientific method could be applied to the elusive phenomena of memory. But what of work on memory before Ebbinghaus? The long ascendance of the Ebbinghaus tradition has eclipsed the contributions of scholars before Ebbinghaus. Memory in Historical Perspective draws together for the first time a collection of writings that figured prominently in scholarly thought about memory from the 8th century B. C. until the scientific investigation of memory began in the late 19th century. Memory in Historical Perspective will be of value to students, researchers, teachers, and writers who wish to place the study of memory in its historical context. The writings are thought-provoking; they deal with a wide range of basic issues in memory in a direct and refreshing way. A study of these writings will stimulate insights into current issues about memory in psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, anthropology, and education.