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Title: Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character
ISBN: 0393061329
Author:
Richard P. Feynman
Publicate Date: 2005-11-07
Publish: 2005-11-07
List Price: $29.95
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $17.90
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $11.86
Amazon Merchant Price: $19.77
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A "M-U-S-T"
I was introduced to "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" 10 years ago by a friend of mine. I read with delight that marvelous book many times ever since. I am glad that Mr Leighton took the time to put together all the adventures of that charming and "curious character". In doing so, he allows us the pleasure of reading them in a chronological order, giving us the possibility to brush a better picture of the man behind the adventures...
A absolute MUST!
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2: Highly Entertaining
This autobiography of the great physicist Richard Feynman should appeal to all those readers who want to know about his private life and scientific activities in detail.However, most of the material is taken from two previous books, "Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman" and "What do you care what other people think?". Some of the "adventures" were already related by James Gleick in his biography of Feynman, "Genius".So people who own these books can do without this one, unless they are real Feynman fans(like me!).
Another feature of this book is the CD which comes with it, and which contains a recording of a lecture by Feynman, covering most of the material of the Chapter entitled "Los Alamos from Below". I found this CD both entertaining and very useful, as it gives the listener a taste of what a lecture by Feynman sounded like. In fact, all the book, in its simplicity, sounds more like a series of lectures;and Feynman, in his distaste for "humanities", seems to enjoy "talking" to the public, with not a hint of literary artifice in his style!Of course, this could be seen as unbecoming such a brilliant mind, but Feynman keeps reminding the reader that he has no respect for anything but science(at one place, he talks about finding the professors of the philosophy department at Columbia particularly "inane").Some will also find his philandering a little exaggerated: but he is honest enough to admit that there is nothing he loves more than a "beautiful woman", and who could blame him?
Finally, it is worthwhile noting that, if some top-notch scientists had also literary gifts (two major examples being Poincar?? and Einstein, whose writings are literary gems), Feynman couldn't care less: he even boasts that he does not give any importance to spelling mistakes, as long as the reader (or listener) understand what he is talking about! However, after reading his Nobel Banquet Speech , I was agreeably surprised with a much better style, which he even admits in the book. Talking about this speech, he says(p.343):"But then I said I received, all at once, a big pile of letters - I said it much better in the speech- reminding me of all the people that I knew; letters from childhood friends who jumped up when they read the morning newspaper and cried out 'I know him!he's that kid we used to play with and so on...'".Feynman seems to be quoting from memory, because this is not exactly what he said in the speech:"...victorious cries of 'I told you so' by those having no technical knowledge-their successful prediction being based on faith alone..."(see Nobelprize.org for the complete speech).
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3: Inspirational
The stories in this book gave be belly laughs, and they also made me think.
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4: curious indeed
This is a wonderful read....a chance to listen to a great scientist with a wonderful quirky mind. It is all interesting, some of it very touching, but the part on the investigation of the Challenger explosion is a classic study in bureaucratic malingering.
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5: Witty and interesting
A interesting view of life through the eyes of a down to earth genius.
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