Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)

By Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton

Book Overview

Richard P. Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. In this lively work that "can shatter the stereotype of the stuffy scientist" (Detroit Free Press), Feynman... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393316041
• ISBN13: 9780393316049
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Fun with Feynman

Richard P. Feynman (1918–1988). This is a unique Feynman biography that tells of all the technical mischief he got into in his lifetime. Much of it I paralleled (we both had a crystal radio as children), but some of the stuff he did is off the chart. It is a tad spooky reading about his early experiment, Smith radios, as I grew up a generation later and still played with a lot of the same stuff. I learned how to use half of a defective valve (vacuum tube) for projects. Turning a CB radio antenna sideways gave an extra channel. Chemical sets, Kenner Hydraulic sets, etc. In this biography, Feynman gets away with finding an easier way to do trig. In the book “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L'Engle, Catherine is admonished for getting the right answer the wrong way. I found in real-life engineering that the number used for conversion of cubes and spheres is quarter pi (0.785398163), and it is easy to remember by starting with six and counting two-up “7 and 8,” then two down “5 and 4” to get an approximate and calculate the answer in your head. Feynman also There are no pictures in the book; the descriptions are such that you can draw pictures in your mind as you are reading.

read years ago and now ordering my own copy!

not a heavy science book rather a book of fun stories of his wry observations and curious mind sure to make you think about things and laugh along the way!

Feynman on Audio CDs

I read Surely Your Joking for the 1st time in late 1987. My daughter got if for me at my request for my birthday. Actually I asked her for something by Phillip Morrison but while she was shopping in the San Jose State bookstore she forgot what physicist I was interested and got Feynman's book instead.I'm glad she made that innocent mistake. Feynman knocked me out. Raymond Todd's reading on the 10 CD audio set is outstanding. I'm buying my daughter a set for herself.

One of the funniest books I have ever read

This is a great book, for both geeks AND non-geeks. It explores the exciting life of Richard Feynman, one of the greatest physicists of the century. But this book is not about physics, rather it tells you how interesting of a life a physicist can have. It has stories of how the author got girls, tricked and joked on friends with his wits, did stupid things at formal occasions, and blabbered about many parts of the government and other recognized systems. I definitely recommend this book to those thinking about a career in research science like I am. It gave me the impression that being a scientist doesn't necessarily make you stay in a white lab coat all day talking geek-talk. On the contrary, you can still have a life. It confirmed my want to pursue and education and career in research chemistry. As for non-geeks, you'll get a good laugh about the interesting character of Feynman, without needing any knowledge of math or science to read the book (though there are about 1 or 2 jokes that somewhat relate to math).

A wonderful collection of Feynman's zany adventures!

This book is a jewel. One would be hard pressed to find a more comical and enjoyable book to read - anywhere. Feynman is the scientist who breaks (or should I say, shatters?) the stereotype of the lab-coat physicist who wears thick, taped up glasses. The great Richard P. Feynman is a testament to how great we as a race can me. I like to think of him as a cross between Goethe & Robin Williams (and I do NOT mean that in any sort of deragatory way). As a physicist, he was top notch, but as a person he was something even more. He had a marvelous sense of humor & enjoyed playing pranks on people. His love of life spilled over to all the people he met during his sojourn on the planet. I only wish that I had been one of those lucky few to have met & known him personally. Perhaps what is most remarkable about him is that he had friends from all walks of life. Many were scientists, yes, but many more were "ordinary" people off the street. That is rather noteworthy given the fact that so many Ivy league-calibre professors feel that they too "intellectually gifted" to associate with the rest of we mere mortals. Someone once said that Edwin Hubble wasn't a humble man, but then again, Hubble didn't have very much to be humble about. I would argue that one could say the latter of Feynman as well, but not the former. READ THIS BOOK and share the experiences of one of the most extraordinary and yet fun loving personages of the 20th century (if not all time). I guarantee it will make you laugh like few other books you will ever read.