We report a 9-year-old girl who presented from an early age a severe and specific verbal memory disorder, in the absence of a definite etiology. The results of an extensive neuropsychological assessment showed a dissociation between normal visuo-spatial memory abilities and a marked short-term and long-term verbal memory impairment. We argue that our case is affected by "developmental dysmnesia", a condition so far described in two cases only (De Renzi and Lucchelli, 1990, and Temple, 1997). The disorder affected episodic as well as semantic verbal memory. The long term effects on learning and cognition of a memory deficit occurring early in childhood are discussed.