No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman [Hardcover]

Richard Phillips Feynman (Author), Christopher Sykes (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

A portrait of the late Nobel Prize-winning physicist based on his own words and those of his friends, family, and colleagues recounts his early enthusiasm for science, work on the atom bomb and the inquiry into the Challenger disaster, and other experiences. 15,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sykes made three TV documentaries about physicist Feynman (1918-1988) in the late '80s, including a BBC feature by the same title as this photo-hagiography. Illustrated with more than 130 photos and reproductions of such ephemera as Feynman's childhood notes on science books and encyclopedia articles, the text is mostly from Sykes's scripted interviews and from Feynman's own Curious Character stories. Nonetheless, the range here is broadened by contributions from 18 family members and colleagues. A chapter on Feynman's role on the Challenger Committee, which investigated the causes of the 1986 explosion of NASA's Challenger space shuttle in which seven astronauts died, casts more light on the investigation than on Feynman. The format is reminiscent of the physicist's bestsellers, e.g., Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman , with pictures. Sykes's off-putting calculated reverence, however, doesn't conceal his subject's inimitable, irrepressible spirit.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is not a biography of Nobel Laureate Feynman-the gold standard for that is unquestionably James Gleick's Genius (LJ 10/1/92)-but rather a very interesting and pleasing compilation of anecdotes, interview excerpts, and conversations by a man who has made several excellent films about and with Feynman-including The Pleasure of Finding Things Out and No Ordinary Genius. Even for those who think they know Feynman and his work, this book is a rare and touching glimpse of him in his own words and in the words of those who knew him best. A pleasure to look through (there are more than 100 photos) and read and an excellent book for general and popular collections. A browser's delight.
Mark Shelton, Athens, Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393036219
• ISBN-13: 978-0393036213
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( F ) > Feynman, Richard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for Feynman fans everywhere!, May 6, 2000

By 

D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for all those individuals who are even remotely interested in the life of the great Richard P. Feynman. It is illustrated with pictures that cover the entire scope of his life; from his earliest days as a boy all the way up to his final years.

The book is mostly a collage of anecdotes and commentary written by a slew of people from all walks of life. We hear from an artist friend of his, Feynman's musician friends, his sister Joan (who herself received a Ph.D. from Syracuse university) and his daughter, as well as the memories of such distinguished colleagues as Freeman Dyson, Hans Bethe and Marvin Minsky.

So order this book, borrow this book, do whatever you have to do to read & enjoy it. Come, take a tour of the life of a humble & friendly (and extraordinary) genius. You owe it to yourself.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Introduction to an Under-Appreciated Man, January 17, 2002

By 

Josh Grotstein - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman (Paperback)

Richard Feynman was a remarkable man who lived many remarkable lives, most of which are succinctly summarized in this fast, engaging read. Relying upon testimonials from close friends and associates of Feynman's and mostly from Feynman's own recollections, No Ordinary Genius delves into each of these lives, including Feynman's childhood obsession with finding out how things worked (a trait inherited from his father), his work at Los Alamos both as the keeper of the keys to the mainframe processing the mathematical calculations for the Manhattan Project and as the head of on campus hi-jinx and safe-cracking, his Nobel Prize for developing the field of Quantum electrodynamics (and along the way the now famous "Feynman diagrams" which have become the physicist's graphical tool for "viewing" sub-atomic activity), his very early visionary forays into what has become nanotechnology, and his ability to buck the NASA bureaucracy and quickly get to the bottom of what really went wrong with the 1986 Challenger disaster. Along the way we learn of his love of people (including his two wives, the first of whom died when she was only about 20 years old of TB), of life, and of physics (though probably not in that order), and what begins to emerge is a rare character, a multi-dimensional, and apparently "human" genius-one with foibles like anyone else...but one surprisingly devoid (at least as Sykes's book of recollections would have us believe) of the peccadilloes and neuroses of similarly brilliant historic figures. In fact one wonders whether Feynman's relative "normalcy" may have prevented him from being more widely known outside of scientific circles. This is itself somewhat ironic as Feynman was not just a brilliant physicist in his own right, but was perhaps the greatest interpreter (and hence most accessible) of all physicists who tried to explain how the world really worked to the rest of us.

Feynman was often criticized for not giving greater weight to the moral consequences of the actions of scientists like him who were responsible for creating "the" Bomb. At one point toward the end of the book, and partially in response to this question about the morality of scientific progress, Feynman observes the interesting irony that it's only in the most free, open, and democratic societies (i.e, the U.S.) that computers capable of infringing the most upon individuals' privacy have been developed. I.e., the countries that would have stood to benefit the most from this advanced "snooping" technology (i.e., the USSR, China, etc.) during Feynman's Cold War days, weren't able to produce the requisite technological infrastructure.

Later, towards the end of the book, the Nobel laureate, Marvin Minsky speaks about a feeling he and Feynman shared about man's soul. "Now here you are, a person, and thirty thousand genes or more are working to make the brain, the most complicated organ. If you were to say it's just a spirit, just a soul, just a little hard diamondlike point with no structure, a gift from some creator, it's so degrading! It means that all of the sacrifice by all of our animal ancestors is ignored. It seems to me [any by implication, Feynman] that the religious view is the opposite of self-respect and understanding. It's taking the brain with a hundred billion neurons, and not using it. What a paradoxical thing to be taught to do!"

So at once you have Feynman then specifying democracy and freedom as the necessary precursors to allow for scientific innovation. Then later he's demonstrating his "belief" in the pre-eminence of reason over non-fact-based belief and religion. Though non-Objectivists and spiritualists could debate his point-of-view, it is particularly refreshing to observe in thought and action a true seeker of the way things truly work. In many respects, Richard Feynman was Ayn Rand's John Gault.

This book should be read as a precursor to getting to know one of the great characters of the 20th century. But it won't suffice if one really wants to understand his genius. For that, one has to read his two books of "Six Easy Pieces", his lecture on Quantum Electrodynamics, or most appropriately of all, his Lectures on Physics.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Physics to Touva!, September 26, 2003

By 

Arief Yudhanto (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman (Paperback)

My reading of "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" was surely "forced" me to read the life of Richard Feynman furthermore: NO ORDINARY GENIUS is a GREAT BOOK. Family, friends and colleagues of Feynman share their views regarding the genius (with bump's-language-style) Feynman. The photos are great and can make a good spot on his life. Truly inspiring especially when he stated that he's an irresponsible man! And also, he couldnt stop to do physics until several days before his death: he's still doing the physics in 70. Feynman also brought the tiny-state named TOUVA to the world: even a geographic teacher wouldn't know bout this region! Buy this book, okay?