Author Guide · Participatory Journalism
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Joshua Foer went to the US Memory Championship as a journalist, to write about the people who memorise decks of cards and pages of poetry. A year later he was back as a competitor, after training with a British grand master of memory, and he won. Along the way he learned the oldest trick in the book: placing what you want to remember in rooms of an imaginary house. This guide covers both of his books, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 books · Participatory journalism · 2011–2016 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Joshua Foer has published two books: Moonwalking with Einstein (2011), about the year he spent training his memory until he won the US Memory Championship, and Atlas Obscura (2016), a guide to the world's hidden wonders written with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton. The first is a book you read; the second, one you browse.
Where to Start with Joshua Foer
If you want the famous one
→ Moonwalking with Einstein (2011).
If you want to wander
→ Atlas Obscura (2016).
All 2 Joshua Foer Books, in Order
Moonwalking with Einstein
Foer went to report on the US Memory Championship and ended up competing in it, after a year of training in memory techniques with the British memory athlete Ed Cooke. He won in 2006. The book mixes his training with the science of memory and the history of the “memory palace”, the technique of placing images in imagined rooms.
Atlas Obscura
Written with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton, his co-founders of Atlas Obscura: a richly illustrated guide to hundreds of strange and little-known places around the world, arranged by continent and country.
How Many Books Did Joshua Foer Write?
Two books, the second written with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton.
- Participatory — Moonwalking with Einstein (2011). Read the entries →
- Co-written — Atlas Obscura (2016), with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Joshua Foer
The two books are very different and can be read in either order: one is a narrative, the other a guidebook to dip into.
A reading path
1. Moonwalking with Einstein (2011)
2. Atlas Obscura (2016)
Quick facts about Joshua Foer
- Born
- September 23, 1982, Washington, DC
- Memory
- US Memory Champion, 2006
- Founded
- Co-founder of Atlas Obscura and of Sefaria, a free online library of Jewish texts
- Family
- Brother of the writers Jonathan Safran Foer and Franklin Foer
- Books
- 2, Moonwalking with Einstein (2011) and Atlas Obscura (2016)
How Joshua Foer Writes: The Reporter Who Took Part
Moonwalking with Einstein began as ordinary reporting and turned into participation: Foer's training, his practice sessions and the championship itself became the spine of the book.
He uses his own year as a way into a larger subject, interleaving it with the psychology of memory, the classical art of memory and the stories of people with extraordinary or damaged memories.
Frequently asked questions about Joshua Foer's books
How many books has Joshua Foer written?
Joshua Foer has published two books: Moonwalking with Einstein (2011) and Atlas Obscura (2016), the second written with Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton.
Did Joshua Foer win the US Memory Championship?
Yes. After a year of training, which he describes in Moonwalking with Einstein, he won the US Memory Championship in 2006.
What is a memory palace?
A memory palace is a technique for remembering things by imagining a familiar building and placing vivid images of what you want to remember in its rooms. Foer explains it in Moonwalking with Einstein.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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