Boxed Set Of Pleasure Of Finding Things Out & Meaning Of It All [Box set] [Paperback]

Richard P. Feynman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2002

Praise for The Pleasure of Finding Things Out:"[A] sparkling collection."--Wall Street Journal"This marvelous collection of talks, interviews, and essays offers a memorable sample of the wit, brilliance, and irreverence of the most celebrated physicist of our time. The more one reads of Feynman, the more one falls in love with his refreshingly enthusiastic view of the world."--Alan Guth, author of The Inflationary Universe"A delightful reminder of Feynman's prodigious gifts."--Nature"Feynman's distinctive voice rings out in this book."--Scientific AmericanPraise for The Meaning of It All:"From the great physicist's archives, three delightful lectures on science, society, and our precious freedom of ignorance."--New York Times"Richard Feynman was a man of many reputations: brilliant physicist, charismatic teacher, irrepressible raconteur, and unforgettable character ...When Feynman describes the scientist as an acrobat walking 'beautiful tightropes of logic,' we understand how a generation of young physicists might have been drawn to follow this brilliant Pied Piper out onto the wire, high above the crowd."--Boston Globe"Scattered through this book is a wonderful collection of personal stories, told in the authentic Feynman style, bringing his meditations to life."--The New York Review of Books

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] sparkling collection." --Wall Street Journal "This marvelous collection of talks, interviews, and essays offers a memorable sample of the wit, brilliance, and irreverence of the most celebrated physicist of our time. The more one reads of Feynman, the more one falls in love with his refreshingly enthusiastic view of the world." --Alan Guth, author of The Inflationary Universe "A delightful reminder of Feynman's prodigious gifts." --Nature "Feynman's distinctive voice rings out in this book." --Scientific American Praise for The Meaning of It All: "From the great physicist's archives, three delightful lectures on science, society, and our precious freedom of ignorance." --New York Times "Richard Feynman was a man of many reputations: brilliant physicist, charismatic teacher, irrepressible raconteur, and unforgettable character...When Feynman describes the scientist as an acrobat walking 'beautiful tightropes of logic,' we understand how a generation of young physicists might have been drawn to follow this brilliant Pied Piper out onto the wire, high above the crowd." --Boston Globe "Scattered through this book is a wonderful collection of personal stories, told in the authentic Feynman style, bringing his meditations to life." --The New York Review of Books

About the Author

Richard P. Feynman was raised in Far Rockaway, New York, and received his Ph.D. from Princeton. He held professorships at both Cornell and the California Institute of Technology. In 1965 he received the Nobel Prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He died in 1988.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738207950
• ISBN-13: 978-0738207957
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,828,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very different book., August 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Boxed Set Of Pleasure Of Finding Things Out & Meaning Of It All (Paperback)

In this series of lectures and interviews, Feynman lays out his, sometimes surprisingly philosophical given his aversion to such things, outlook on science, religion, and life in general. As an added bonus, you get a lecture or two on his "absurd and crazy" ideas, like nanotechnology, that give you a real feel what Feynman was about.

This book held a lot of credibility with me. First, Feynman was a singular individual, unswayed by pomposity and false pretenses, with no hidden agenda, and little desire to have other people like him - a rare thing. Second, the book is poorly written. The editors, on purpose, left it raw and unrefined, just as Feynman spoke it, to let more of Feynman come across. The result is uneven, jarring, and a little hard to read, and this, to me, is a good thing. Whenever I see fresh, sparkling, vibrant prose I don't believe it, because show me a more effective speaker than Hitler or a more electrifying call to action than the "Communist Manifesto". Without the swaying torrent of rhetoric, the message of the book stands on its own merrit.

Read this book. You'll walk away from it a little wiser.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT COLLECTION OFFERS INSIGHT INTO MAN OF SCIENCE, July 15, 2003

By 

Denis Benchimol Minev "Amazonia" (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Boxed Set Of Pleasure Of Finding Things Out & Meaning Of It All (Paperback)

This book is a collection of Feynman's most memorable essays and speeches, in which he talks about the Manhattan project, his childhood, the future of physics, the unscientific nature of society, among other topics. This is a book for the non scientist, as there is very little physics required, and it talks as much about the future of science as it does about the future of society.

Feynman is a remarkable character, which many virtues and flaws which are readily detectable in the book. It is a short, quick read that left me wanting to learn more about him.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool, anecdotic, fun, August 18, 2006

By 

Alicia E. Castillo "Creating wealth from inno... (Perth, Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boxed Set Of Pleasure Of Finding Things Out & Meaning Of It All (Paperback)

This is a great book to read on airplanes, or at leisure. Each short work is fascinating, and I felt both marvelled at Feynman, and at the process of discovery.

It is a very human book, and combines very well the soft, sparky, almost childish side of a person, and the deep, analytical, thought provoking, more adult part.

I also made me think about the atomic bomb, since I was born in the 60s, I was too young to remember that frenzie.

The book is also great to get stories and quotes for training and conversation.

The book is not an arid description about a methodology for discovering things, or a novel.