The Lorayne Family Welcomes You!
Harry Lorayne, the world’s foremost memory training specialist — “The Yoda of Memory Training” (Time Magazine) has also made a career out of another passion, close-up magic! The overwhelming opinion throughout the world of magic and magicians is that no matter what your level of expertise, knowledge, ability — whether you’re a beginner, amateur, knowledgable amateur, working professional — you will raise those levels to a never-dreamed-possible degree by experiencing the books, ebooks, and DVDs for sale here, by Mr. Harry Lorayne.
The Great Harry Lorayne, my Father-in-Law
by Elizabeth Lorayne
We sat down for dinner at the Jane Street Tavern, around the corner from their home – Harry’s concern for his wife was more memorable than anything else that evening. It was my first time meeting my then-boyfriend’s father, Harry Lorayne. It was the fall of 2006. And it’s a moment I keep coming back to in this time of grieving. That despite Harry’s vast career and influence, at the end of the day he was always more concerned with his family. The look of love for his wife – the palpable energy of concern – was so utterly priceless. And over the last 16 years, I’ve had the immense honor of seeing that same look given to his son, my husband, Robert Lorayne, and to our daughter, Vivi – and to me.
Harry Lorayne, “The Yoda of Memory Training” (Time Magazine), passed away a month shy of his 97th birthday. He would be most annoyed that he hadn’t been given the chance to finally say he was 97. He told everyone that “growing old sucks,” and that he was not 96, but “in his 97th year of life.”
The breadth of influence in both memory training and close-up card magic is astounding. Born on May 4th, 1926, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Harry would be the first to share that he was “one of the original dead-end kids,” playing on petrified mountains of garbage on Lewis Street and Avenue D which is now the FDR drive in NYC. He was a shy child, who was quite savvy in three areas: the first was improving his memory skills to prevent his father from berating him for poor grades; the second was studying card tricks to break out of his shy shell and make some friends; and the third was picking up freshly discarded cigarette butts to get the last puff. Anyone that knew Harry, knew how tenacious he was, so much so that he went from “telling the time by how many cigarettes he had smoked,” to quitting cold turkey due to health concerns. Once Harry set his mind to something, he did it. Full stop. And he did it incredibly well.
He impressed audiences everywhere he went. From the beginnings of performing close-up card magic at The Little Club in Manhattan . . . Continue reading. . .
Interview Series with Rudy Tinoco: “Before I Forget”
Rudy Tinoco of The Magician’s Forum has interviewed Harry Lorayne well over a dozen times. From anecdotes to demonstrations, in this interview series you’ll view Harry Lorayne answer questions and expand on his memoir, Before I Forget (A “Rememoir” – says Mel Brooks). The video here is the first in the series in which Harry shares a funny story that happened on his first trip to Italy; how he turned down an appearance with Alex Trebek; and finally, Harry opens up about the tragic death of his father and its effect on him. Be sure to check this section regularly as new interviews are added!
Harry Lorayne in Pictures
What Fans are Saying
“Your writings contain marvelous things.”
— Johnny Carson
“Being a fan of magic, I’m a fan of yours”
— Woody Allen
“Perhaps the best teacher in the history of magic - he is a consummate teacher. His writings/teaching is a very special kind of magic.”
— Dennis Marks
“You are my absolute favorite magic author; you are a FANTASTIC writer and teacher.”
— Tom Virjohan
“Harry teaches MAGIC, not tricks, and very powerful magic indeed.”
— Grandpa Chet
“I was never good at arithmetic. Then I read Harry Lorayne’s Mathematical Wizardry. Now, unbelievably, I can amaze my friends with my fantastic lightning calculation tricks – and more! Thank you, Harry.”
— Mel Brooks
“Harry Lorayne can make you remember an address book full of phone numbers as if it were your first kiss. When I go onstage with a hundred pages of text in my head, they got there thanks to the Method: the Harry Lorayne Method.”
— Alan Alda
“Harry, you set the bar for me in terms of what is possible and for the excellence that can be reached.”
— Michael Vincent
“Buy it, read it, learn it, love it. That encapsulates my feelings about ALL of Harry Lorayne's work.”
— Vlad