This is Eric Kandel’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Kandel) account of how his personal quest to understand memory intersected with the emergence of a new science. In Search of Memory relates the astonishing story of how four different and distinct disciplines – behaviourist psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and molecular biology – converged into a powerful new science of mind. Through its profound insights into thought, perception, action, recollection, and mental illness, this new science is revolutionizing our understanding of learning and memory while simultaneously showing great promise for more effective healing. The narrative follows Kandel through the last five decades, focusing on Vienna, where he became fascinated with memory. With intrepid scientific ardor, he was captivated first by history and psychoanalysis, then by neurobiology, and finally by the biological processes of memory. His resulting, multifaceted perspective was the foundation for his path-breaking research that continues to dominate modern thought both in science and in culture at large. Superb stuff.
528 in W.W. Norton & Co. paperback edition
50 illustrations
ISBN 978-0393329377