"Most of the Good Stuff:" Memories of Richard Feynman [Hardcover]

Laurie M. Brown (Editor), John S. Rigden (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0883188708 | ISBN-13: 978-0883188705 | Publication Date: October 12, 1993 | Edition: 1

"A printed eulogy of one of the most interesting and creative physicists of our time....The reader gets fascinating first-person accounts from eminent physicists qua ardent admirers of one who will forever be remembered in the pages of physics." Choice Prominent physicists such as John Wheeler, Freeman Dyson, Hans Bethe, Julian Schwinger, Murray Gell-Mann, David Pines, and others offer intimate reminiscences of their colleague and perceptive explanations of Feynman's trailblazing work. These essays uncover the precocious undergraduate, the young scholar at Cornell, the theoretician in his prime at Caltech, and the mature teacher and mentor. Highlighting both the charm and brilliance of Feynman, "Most of the Good Stuff" is an engrossing collection for enthusiasts--scientists and nonscientists alike--awed and entertained by one of the century's greatest minds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 181 pages
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics; 1 edition (October 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883188708
• ISBN-13: 978-0883188705
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Feynman, Richard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone who has followed Feynman should read this, January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: "Most of the Good Stuff:" Memories of Richard Feynman (Hardcover)

Fascinating and insiteful lectures from many of the great people in the world of physics. Amusing anecdotes, touching tributes, and glimpses into the private life of a genius who was also extremely human and persevered through very painful personal problems to help create the atomic bomb while his wife was seriously ill, yet keeping his spirits up and his sense of humor. Never a person to rest on his laurels Feynman is shown in this book as a person who listened intently to other people's theories, no matter how odd they sounded and never assumed anything was right or wrong until he worked it out for himself from first principles. It's all here, his life, his work, his friends, family and colleagues - but most of all his spirit.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Personally Satisfying of All the Feynman Books, August 5, 2002

By 

Diego Banducci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: "Most of the Good Stuff:" Memories of Richard Feynman (Hardcover)

Divided into seven sections (The Early Years, At Los Alamos, The Cornell Years, The Research Physicist at Caltech, The Teacher at Caltech, The Public Physicist and Consultant, and Feynman--The Man), this fine book presents Richard Feynman as he was seen by those closest to him--his friends and colleagues. To their credit, they present him as they knew him, the qualities with the flaws.

The book is especially successful in communicating Feynman's way of thinking, the processes he used in attacking problems. The essay entitled "Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine" by W. Daniel Hills is notably successful in this regard, and by itself justifies the purchase of the book. I found it especially interesting that Feynman was fascinated, as I am, by the potential of cellular automata for modeling fluids. Readers with the same interest should also consider purchasing Seek! Selected Nonfiction by Rudy Rucker.

Five or so essays by other physicists who knew Feynman contain mathematics that is proably beyond the ability of the average reader (certainly mine), but even these contain gems of insight that reward readers who wade through them.

All in all, a most satisfying experience.

Also recommended: Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quintessential Feynman, January 28, 2007

By 

conoscient (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: "Most of the Good Stuff:" Memories of Richard Feynman (Hardcover)

This is probably not the first book to read about Feynman. I think the best introductory read is Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman. However, this one is unique in that it gives a first hand objective account of his life, personality and achievements (particularly in Physics). It's unfortunate that I have had to skip parts of certain essays (written originally for Physics Today) because they required the kind of Physics knowledge that I do not have, in order to understand and appreciate what Feynman's contribution was to the problem. Nonetheless, the book is a pleasure to read, and some essays are gems in that respect. I especially liked Richard Feynman and the Connection Machine by W. Daniel Hillis. Just when I'm thinking I've learned all of the interesting Feynman stories that I will ever get to know, I come across yet another one that makes me smile and shake my head. I wonder if there are any left after reading this book :)