Product Description

Richard Feynman was one of the most inspirational men of our times. He won the Nobel Prize, wrote equations on napkins in strip joints, cracked safes for fun while working on the atom bomb, upset those in authority and touched countless lives. He also wrote hundreds of witty, eccentric and moving letters to his family, friends, critics, colleagues and devoted fans around the world. Now these letters have been brought together for the first time. From down-to-earth advice to eager students to discussions of time travel, blunt rebuttals to journalists to poignant exchanges with his first wife as she suffered from tuberculosis, they will introduce you to a unique person whose wisdom and lust for life inspired all those who came into his orbit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31526 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

About the Author
Richard P. Feynman (1918-88) was one of the 20th century's most brilliant theoretical physicists and original thinkers. In 1965 he won the Nobel Prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics. Books by Feynman in Penguin include Six Easy Pieces, Six Not-So-Easy-Pieces and the bestselling The Meaning of It All.

Customer Reviews

Another Feynman gem!
Anyone who has ever read any Feynman before will know to expect his letters to be filled with humour, wit, genius and above all a passion for what he did, and they will not be disappointed! Although being Feynman the theme of the book never strays too far from science, being a collaboration of letters to everyone and anyone from personal correspondence with family and friends, to letters to journalists, colleagues and devoted fans, this book I think gives more of a picture of what Feynman was really like in what he thought about many different topics and his approach to difficult decisions and situations. I revelled in the chapter about his Nobel Prize - hearing about the modesty and anti-honours attitude of such a genius was humbling to say the least. Along with the usual stories of safe - cracking for fun, playing the bongos and generally being a down to earth yet amazing person, as with anything Feynman, this book is utterly inspiring and impossibly hard to put down.

Feynman in his own words
A must for Feynman fans!
An excellent book despite its appearance! It is fascinating to watch the development of R.P.F.s personality and confidence (compare his early letters to his 1st wife with his letters to his last). Having said that there are two letters to Arline (1st wife)that brought tears to this reviewers eye.
It is also an insight into the sort of demands on a famous scientist, with many and varying people and organisations wanting your opinion and approval / sanction. The letters after his receiving the Nobel prize are worth the price of the book alone.
Although the corespondence has been edited by his daughter it doesn't always strive to put R.P.F. in a good light.(But letters from his other amours are missing.)
Altogether a really enjoyable read and has altered my perception of R.P.F. (in his favour!)

Complementing "Surely you're Joking"
This book is not as amusing as the "Surely you're joking" books. The book is a collection of letters and provides a good complement to the other books as they tell Mr. Feynman's thoughts in the moment and not in retrospect.

One amusing coincidence is that Mr. Feynman wrote from Greece about an ancient machine that nobody knew what was. It is known as the Antikythera Mechanism, and the mystery was solved the same week as I read that letter. It is an astronomical clock.