author
Harry Lorayne
A showman of memory who turned personal struggle into a lifelong craft, this bestselling author became famous for making recall feel practical, surprising, and fun. He was also a respected close-up magician whose performances and teaching reached audiences far beyond the magic world.
1 Audiobook
The Poors
by Harry Lorayne
About the author
Born Harry Ratzer in 1926, he became widely known as Harry Lorayne, an American memory expert, magician, and author. He built his career around techniques for remembering names, facts, and lists, and his work helped popularize memory training for general readers rather than just specialists.
Alongside his books on memory, he was deeply admired in the world of card and close-up magic. His reputation grew through live performances and television appearances, where he demonstrated remarkable feats of recall and an easy, energetic stage presence.
Lorayne continued writing and teaching for decades, and he remained a recognizable figure to both readers looking to sharpen their memory and magicians studying classic sleight-of-hand. He died in 2023 at age 96, leaving behind a body of work that made mental skill-building feel approachable.