100 books like Use Your Head

By Tony Buzan,

Here are 100 books that Use Your Head fans have personally recommended if you like Use Your Head. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

Stephen P. Ramocki Author Of Teaching Creativity in Marketing and Business Education: A Concise Compilation of Concepts and Methodologies that Will Increase Students' Creativity

From my list on creativity in marketing and business education.

Why am I passionate about this?

 I have studied creativity for 40 years and, along with the textbook I wrote, I am continually teaching my marketing students how to become more creative.  I have unequivocally demonstrated that everyone who wants to become more creative can do so with the appropriate tutelage.  This is why I get so much satisfaction from teaching creativity and it is why I wrote my book that I am highlighting here.

Stephen's book list on creativity in marketing and business education

Stephen P. Ramocki Why did Stephen love this book?

Leonardo da Vinci was arguably the most creative person who ever walked the earth. He is known by many as an artist but his most impressive contributions came in the form of inventions. Imagine in the fifteen hundreds conceptualizing tanks, automatic weaponry, and parachutes. He was so far ahead of his time that people thought he was crazy.

By Michael J. Gelb,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This inspiring and inventive guide teaches readers how to develop their full potential by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.

Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an…


Book cover of The Mind Map Book: Unlock Your Creativity, Boost Your Memory, Change Your Life

Raymond Keene Author Of Fifty Shades of Ray

From my list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chess Grandmaster and former British and European gold medal winner. I have won tournaments in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Holland, Germany, and Cuba, where I met Fidel Castro. I have always been fascinated by the potential power of the human mind and how to activate it. Memory, Speed Reading, Mind Mapping, and Critical Thinking, all form a part of this intriguing matrix. 

Raymond's book list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind

Raymond Keene Why did Raymond love this book?

A revolutionary book by my friend Tony Buzan, who sadly passed in 2019. Tony left a huge educational legacy based on his invention of the Mind Map, an amazing tool to expand your memory, creativity, and critical thinking. Anyone who wants to pass exams or protect against Alzheimer’s must read this book! 

By Tony Buzan, Barry Buzan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Mind Map Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tony Buzan is the inventor of Mind Maps and The Mind Map Book is the original and best book on how to use them effectively in your own life.



Often referred to as 'the Swiss army knife for the brain', Mind Maps are a ground-breaking, note-taking technique that have already revolutionised the lives of many millions of people around the world and taken the educational and business world by storm.



This practical full-colour book will transform the way you plan and organise your life. At school they're perfect for taking notes, revising for exams and planning essays; at work they're…


Book cover of How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week: 50 Proven Ways to Enhance Your Memory Skills

Raymond Keene Author Of Fifty Shades of Ray

From my list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chess Grandmaster and former British and European gold medal winner. I have won tournaments in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Holland, Germany, and Cuba, where I met Fidel Castro. I have always been fascinated by the potential power of the human mind and how to activate it. Memory, Speed Reading, Mind Mapping, and Critical Thinking, all form a part of this intriguing matrix. 

Raymond's book list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind

Raymond Keene Why did Raymond love this book?

Dominic O'Brien won the inaugural World Memory Championship in 1991, which I organised jointly with Tony Buzan. Everyone needs memory power, from the youngest school kid to the most ancient of veterans. Without memory, you cannot come up with anything creative. Dominic has the ability to remember thousands of binary digits in half an hour or remember an entire park of cards in mere seconds. There is no one better than eight-times World Memory Champion Dominic O'Brien to guide you on the right path. 

By Dominic O'Brien,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written by eight times World Memory Champion, Dominic O'Brien this book is a complete course in memory enhancement. Dominic takes you step-by-step through an ingenious programme of skills, introducing all his tried and tested techniques on which he has built his triumphant championship performances. Pacing the course in line with his expert understanding of how the brain responds to basic memory training, Dominic offers strategies and tips that will expand your mental capacities at a realistic but impressive rate.


Book cover of How To Be A Speedy Reader

Raymond Keene Author Of Fifty Shades of Ray

From my list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a chess Grandmaster and former British and European gold medal winner. I have won tournaments in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Holland, Germany, and Cuba, where I met Fidel Castro. I have always been fascinated by the potential power of the human mind and how to activate it. Memory, Speed Reading, Mind Mapping, and Critical Thinking, all form a part of this intriguing matrix. 

Raymond's book list on to increase your creativity and sharpen your mind

Raymond Keene Why did Raymond love this book?

Anne Jones has won the World Speed Reading Championship on no fewer than six occasions. The championships were all organised by myself and my late friend Tony Buzan. In an increasingly complicated world the ability to cut through the mounds of verbiage to get to the nub of the matter is of vital significance. Anne Jones, the most dominant speed reader of all time, shows us how. 

By Anne Jones,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How To Be A Speedy Reader as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You too can be a speedy reader! Would you like to save time and get the most from the reading you do? Discover how to increase your reading speed and boost your comprehension and recall.


Book cover of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Stephen M. Kosslyn Author Of Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive

From my list on the science of learning.

Why am I passionate about this?

Stephen M. Kosslyn has been immersed in the world of learning for decades. He is the founder of Active Learning Sciences, Inc., and is Chief Academic Officer of Foundry College. Kosslyn's research has focused on the nature of visual cognition, visual communication, and the science of learning; he has published 14 books and over 350 papers on these topics. He has received numerous honors, including the National Academy of Sciences Initiatives in Research Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three honorary Doctorates, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Stephen's book list on the science of learning

Stephen M. Kosslyn Why did Stephen love this book?

The author immersed himself in the world of memory experts and describes how he went from (metaphorical) memory rags to memory riches – eventually winning a prestigious memory contest. This book takes the mystery out of how to learn vast bodies of information; Foer describes learning devices that anyone can use to put their memory on steroids.

By Joshua Foer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Moonwalking with Einstein as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, Joshua Foer's part-memoir, part-guide on mastering your memory. Read by Mike Chamberlain.

On average, people squander forty days annually trying to remember things they've forgotten. Joshua Foer used to be one of those people. But after a year of training, he found himself in the finals of the U.S. Memory Championship. He also discovered a truth we too often forget: In every way, we are the sum of our memories.

In Moonwalking with Einstein Foer draws on cutting-edge research, the cultural history of memory…


Book cover of Marking the Mind: A History of Memory

Michael Pickering Author Of Memory and the Management of Change: Repossessing the Past

From my list on memory, time, and history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Loughborough University. I have written widely in the areas of social and cultural history, the sociology of art and culture, and media and communication studies. Recent projects have involved books on song and music in the workplace, popular culture, cultural studies, advertising and racism, and blackface minstrelsy. I co-wrote Media and the Management of Change with Emily Keightley, the last volume in a trilogy on media and memory and the interaction of memory and imagination.

Michael's book list on memory, time, and history

Michael Pickering Why did Michael love this book?

Focusing in the main on the psychology of memory, in this excellent book Kurt Danziger argues that conceptually memory has changed considerably over time, not least because of the shifting historical contexts in which it has been applied. The book covers such critical issues as different kinds of memory, memory and metaphor, the cultivation of memory, and memory and truth. Danziger’s contention throughout the book is that memory and remembering are ineluctably social, and any sound understanding of them needs to account for how various historical factors and cultural practices have shaped and helped constitute them. 

By Kurt Danziger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Marking the Mind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Memory is one of the few psychological concepts with a truly ancient lineage. Presenting a history of the interrelated changes in memory tasks, memory technology and ideas about memory from antiquity to the late twentieth century, this book confronts psychology's 'short present' with its 'long past'. Kurt Danziger, one of the most influential historians of psychology of recent times, traces long-term continuities from ancient mnemonics and tools of inscription to modern memory experiments and computer storage. He explores historical discontinuities, showing how different kinds of memory became prominent at different times, and examines these changes in the context of specific…


Book cover of Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style

Judy Christie Author Of Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society

From my list on to help you write a terrific true story.

Why am I passionate about this?

From my days as editor of The Barret Banner in sixth grade, I wanted to find out about people and tell their stories. Through decades as a newspaper reporter and editor, I discovered again and again how much stories matter—and how fascinating in-depth research and interviews are. Everyone has a story, and capturing the voices of real people is important. Getting to know ordinary families whose lives were turned inside-out by an adoption scandal has been a great honor. Listen to someone’s story. You may be surprised what you learn. 

Judy's book list on to help you write a terrific true story

Judy Christie Why did Judy love this book?

Oh, boy! I came upon this book while seeking the answer to a basic style question, and, wow, am I glad I did. Dreyer, copy chief of Random House, knows his stuff and can help you learn yours, too, from word usage to punctuation. The book’s way more than that, though. You’ll feel like you’ve taken a lively college class in writing and wish you could have coffee with the professor. I’ve bought copies for several word-nerd friends — it’s humorous, too. 

By Benjamin Dreyer,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Dreyer's English as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'An utterly delightful book to read, Dreyer's English will stand among the classics on how to use the English language properly.' ELIZABETH STROUT

'A complete joy. For those who care about words - and for those who don't - Dreyer's English is the book we have all been waiting for. Wise, funny, no-nonsense, stylish and brilliantly practical.' RACHEL JOYCE
_____________
An indispensable, New York Times-bestselling guide to the craft of writing from Random House's long-time copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus.

We all write, all the time: books, blogs, tweets, emails, emails, emails - and we all…


Book cover of Killer Presentations: Power to the Imagination to Visualise Your Point - with PowerPoint

Patrick Forsyth Author Of Successful Time Management: How to be Organized, Productive and Get Things Done

From my list on common sense to help you succeed in business.

Why am I passionate about this?

Having begun my career in publishing, I worked for many years as a management consultant and trainer; alongside that, I have written and published many books offering advice on management, marketing, and job skills, like the time management book shown above, a bestseller now in its sixth edition. I have always thought management often fails by overlooking the importance of issues rather than finding things difficult; I hope my business writing helps identify priorities and shows that the deployment of various techniques and skills can be manageable–and useful.

Patrick's book list on common sense to help you succeed in business

Patrick Forsyth Why did Patrick love this book?

Presentation is a skill that, love it or hate it, is necessary for so many in the corporate world, and many books are setting out how to go about it. This is different, and I love it because it is based on research and highlights not only what makes for a ‘good’ presentation but also what makes one truly persuasive.

What is more, I like it because it does it in a way that embraces the modern ways of PowerPoint, pitches, and a competitive world—no ‘death by PowerPoint’ here; quite the reverse.

By Nicholas B. Oulton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Killer Presentations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This second edition has completely a new chapter on Web Presenting and links to several online seminars as well as a chapter on how to make your presentation content more memorable by using m62's Passive Mnemonic Processing techniques. The book illustrates its approach clearly and in detail: using real company examples and a series of 40 colour-images to show how such slides can work. Additionally, the book provides unique links to web sites where you can see more about this sort of presentation in action. Contents: Introduction, a new approach; Section one: Powerpoint; Section two: Messaging; Objective setting; Presentational intentions:…


Book cover of Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies: Orality, Memory and the Transmission of Culture

Patrick Nunn Author Of The Edge of Memory: Ancient Stories, Oral Tradition and the Post-Glacial World

From my list on ancient oral traditions.

Why am I passionate about this?

Becoming immersed in oral cultures was a massive wake-up call for me! Taught to privilege the written over the spoken word, as most literate people are, it took me years of living in the Pacific Islands, travelling regularly to their remoter parts, to appreciate that people who could neither read nor write could retain huge amounts of information in their heads – and explain it effortlessly. We undervalue orality because we are literate, but that is an irrational prejudice. And as I have discovered from encounters with oral traditions throughout Australia and the Pacific, India, and northwest Europe, not only are oral traditions extensive but may be thousands of years old.

Patrick's book list on ancient oral traditions

Patrick Nunn Why did Patrick love this book?

I had been immersed in oral cultures for more than two decades when I read this book by Lynne Kelly and it was like a curtain being lifted for me. Suddenly I found affirmation that oral traditions indeed had meaning and purpose but – more than this – that they were supplemented in this by art, by dance and performance, by poetry and music. Lynne’s clever and readable book has had a lasting impact on me and the research questions I endeavor to answer. Everyone interested in human pasts should read it.

By Lynne Kelly,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this book, Lynne Kelly explores the role of formal knowledge systems in small-scale oral cultures in both historic and archaeological contexts. In the first part, she examines knowledge systems within historically recorded oral cultures, showing how the link between power and the control of knowledge is established. Analyzing the material mnemonic devices used by documented oral cultures, she demonstrates how early societies maintained a vast corpus of pragmatic information concerning animal behavior, plant properties, navigation, astronomy, genealogies, laws and trade agreements, among other matters. In the second part Kelly turns to the archaeological record of three sites, Chaco Canyon,…


Book cover of The Medieval Craft of Memory: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures

Jamie Kreiner Author Of The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction

From my list on medieval brainiacs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a historian of the early Middle Ages. There are all sorts of unexpected differences and similarities between modern and medieval life, and things get especially interesting when it comes to thinking about thinking. Our understanding of how our minds work has obviously changed—and so have the ways that we actually use them. Medieval thinkers in Europe and the Mediterranean world struggled with concentration and memory and information overload, just like we do. But they were savvier in dealing with those problems, and these books invite you into the wonderful world of their cognitive practices. You’ll probably find yourself experimenting with many of these techniques along the way!

Jamie's book list on medieval brainiacs

Jamie Kreiner Why did Jamie love this book?

Carruthers and Ziolkowski pulled together several terrific texts (translated from Latin into English) to showcase medieval thinking about cognitive mechanisms and practices.

I love teaching with this book: the texts are succinct, charming, and sometimes very strange, and the introductions help you understand how the techniques actually work. Scholarship can pique our interest in medieval history, but it’s the primary sources that keep us coming back for more.    

By Mary Carruthers (editor), Jan M. Ziolkowski (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Medieval Craft of Memory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, memory was a craft, and certain actions and tools were thought to be necessary for its creation and recollection. Until now, however, many of the most important visual and textual sources on the topic have remained untranslated or otherwise difficult to consult. Mary Carruthers and Jan M. Ziolkowski bring together the texts and visual images from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries that are central to an understanding of memory and memory technique. These sources are now made available for a wider audience of students of medieval and early modern history and culture and…


Book cover of How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day
Book cover of The Mind Map Book: Unlock Your Creativity, Boost Your Memory, Change Your Life
Book cover of How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week: 50 Proven Ways to Enhance Your Memory Skills

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in memory, intelligence, and thinking?

Memory 101 books
Intelligence 22 books
Thinking 48 books