Has anyone ever heard of someone who memorized a longish book a la 451? I'm not talking about oral or folk storytelling traditions, but someone who actually memorized every word of a book. If not, I'm thinking about doing it: "A Tale of Two Cities."

Does GREEN EGGS AND HAM count?

Anyone who has memorized "The Night Before Christmas" can be said to have memorized a book, since it has been published on its own many times. As for "longish" books, I haven't even memorized "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which I certainly should know by now!

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr, Suess. Before I could read, with the aid of the pictures, I could recall the book verbatim from begining to end.

Before modern cultures became dependent upon information storage and retrieval systems (i.e. books, recordings, etc.) apparently people had what one would call better memories.
This is still evident amongst people who have an oral rather than written medium of preserving history, lineage, etc.
In fact, in the Orthodox Church, Canon law still stipulates that anyone being ordained a deacon or priest must have the entire Psalter memorized! (Just try memorizing psalm 119 (118 Septuagint)!)
Of course, nowadays this requirement is dispensed with!

Yes, I am in process of memorizing the complete book of 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville. I have prepared for this for months, and hopefully will complete the memorization of the entire book by 2008. I am currently on the second paragraph, of Chapter 1.

Impressive, to be sure!

Does knowing the words to all the Beatles' songs count?

Crabalocka fishwife...Goo goo goo joob!

(Reads like one of "Teh"'s posts, but I believe those are actual Beatles lyrics.)

And like "coo coo ca choo, I am the Walrus." Why did you have to bring up the Beatles Braling II?
All of my albums (remember those dudes?) are in the basement of my sister-in-law's home In Minnesota.

Hey "Sam-I-Am", how ya doin!!!?

>The Boy Who Fooled The Giant, my parents read it to me so often that by two I had it memorized. They told all of their friends that I was a child prodigy...

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Crabalocka fishwife...Goo goo goo joob!

Might Mr Lennon have been influenced by a certain "herb" whilst writing that lyric? Surely not!

quote:

Originally posted by biplane1:
Why did you have to bring up the Beatles Braling II?

I put him up to it!

quote:

Originally posted by rocket:
>The Boy Who Fooled The Giant, my parents read it to me so often that by two I had it memorized. They told all of their friends that I was a child prodigy...

That's the best time to memorize! By the time we reach Kindygarten our ability to learn new things has decreased incredibly. Mr B knows this and has advocated Pre-K learnin' as one of the most important things we can do for the future of our civilization today.