Harry Lorayne (born Harry Ratzer; May 4, 1926April 7, 2023) was an American mnemonist, magician, and author who was called "The Yoda of Memory Training" and "The World's Foremost Memory-Training Specialist" by Time magazine. He was well known for his incredible memory demonstrations and appeared on numerous television shows–including 24 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His book The Memory Book was a New York Times bestseller. His card magic, especially his innovations in card sleights, is widely emulated by amateur and professional magicians.

Life and career

Lorayne was born Harry Ratzer and grew up poor on New York's Lower East Side. His father was an alcoholic garment cutter and "a violent man" who committed suicide when Lorayne was 12; according to The New York Times: He practiced sleight of hand at the Hamilton Fish Park in the 1930s. At age 18, he began to perform as a table magician at Billy Reed's Little Club at 70 E. 55th St. in New York. The actor Victor Jory, noted for his role as a magician detective, was a regular visitor to the club. Lorayne started performing memory tricks for Jory and Jory's enthusiastic response changed Lorayne's approach to performing.

Lorayne began appearing on national television in 1958 (after hosting a local show of his own in 1951, The Prof. Magic Show), first on I've Got a Secret, where he demonstrated his ability to remember everybody's name in the audience, and later appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and numerous other television shows including Jack Paar, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Regis Philbin Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, That's Incredible, and David Susskind. He was a regular performer (24 times) on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He lived in a townhouse on Jane Street in New York's West Village. The street is sometimes called "Authors Row" due to the many writers who have lived there, and number 62, where Lorayne lived, has also been home to John Cheever, Thomas Meehan, and Susan Brownmiller. According to the New Your Times, "his friend Mel Brooks planned to give that address as the home of the playwright Franz Liebkind in his 1967 film, The Producers. After Mr. Lorayne’s wife, Renée, objected that the moviegoing public would be banging on their door day and night, Mr. Brooks changed it to the fictional 100 West Jane Street."

Writer and publisher

Harry Lorayne was a prolific author of memory training books intended for the public, as well as books for professional magicians. <nowiki>The Memory Book</nowiki> has sold over two million copies, Bob Dylan writes in Chronicles: Volume One that he read Lorayne's book shortly before breaking through as a music star after finding it in the book collection of a friend.

"Harry Lorayne is the most influential author, publisher, and teacher of magic routines in the world today," according to the magician Randy Wakeman.

For twenty years, Lorayne wrote and published the monthly magazine Apocalypse, which was created and started with Richard J. Kaufman, who left after the first year.

Publications

thumb|Harry Lorayne / [[Jerry Lucas: The Memory Book – edition from 1996]]

  • How to Develop a Super Power Memory (1957)
  • Harry Lorayne's Secrets of Mind Power (1961)
  • Close-Up Card Magic (1962)
  • Personal Secrets (1964)
  • My Favorite Card Tricks (1965)
  • Dingle's Deceptions (1966)
  • Miracle Math (1966)
  • Best of Bill-Fooled (1967)
  • Deck-Sterity (1967)
  • The Harry Lorayne Memory Isometrics Course (1968)
  • Reputation-Makers (1971)
  • Tarbell #7 (1972)
  • The Great Divide (1972)
  • Good Memory – Good Student! A Guide to Remembering What to Learn (1972)
  • Rim Shots (1973)
  • The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play (1974, with Jerry Lucas)
  • Performing Fellowship – Academy of Magic Arts, 2002.
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Society of American Magicians, 1994.
  • Magician of the Year Award – Society of American Magicians, 1983.
  • Literary Fellowship Award – The Magic Castle, 1981.
  • Literary & Media Fellowship – Academy of Magic Arts, 1980.
  • The Stars of Magic Award – International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), 1975.

See also

  • Memory sport
  • Method of loci
  • Mnemonic
  • List of people with dyslexia
  • Spatial memory
  • Vedic Mathematics

References

  • Harry Lorayne, The lives They Lived, New York Times
  • Harry Lorayne on the Paul Daniels Show in 1980
  • Mathematical Wizardry by Harry Lorayne