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The Best Books on: Richard Feynman
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The Best Books on: Richard Feynman

Jørgen Veisdal
Jan 11
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The Best Books on: Richard Feynman
www.privatdozent.co

Hi there!

As a writer I get a lot of milage from certain topics. Among these are Einstein, Turing, quantum theory, game theory and, Richard P. Feynman. Feynman is essentially beloved by everyone. He embodies that rare researcher who is also an excellent communicator. There are, of course, plenty of excellent first-rate researchers and communicators, but he was both. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, yet is today best remembered as an excellent teacher of elementary physics. What does that say?

Feynman (seated by the table) explaining something to fellow physicists Lamb, Oppenheimer, Darrow, Weisskopf, Uhlenbeck, Marshak, Schwinger, Bohm, Pais, and Feschbach at the 1947 Shelter Island Conference (Photo: IAS Archive)

Privatdozent essays on Feynman (as of 2021) include:

  • When Feynman met Dirac, April 5th 2021

  • Oppenheimer’s Letter of Recommendation for Richard Feynman (1943), May 22nd 2021

  • Richard Feynman’s First Lecture, April 23rd 2021

  • Richard Feynman’s Advice to a Young Stephen Wolfram (1985), May 3rd 2021

The following are the books I would acquire if I wanted to absorb the essence of Richard Feynman’s life, person and career as throuroughly and enjoyably as possible.


1. The Beat of a Different Drum: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (1994)

by Jagdish Mehra

At 680 pages, The Beat of a Different Drum is in my opinion the first (and perhaps only) book about Feynman’s life most people will ever want or need. The table of contents is available here for those interested. The book is wonderfully detailed in its narration of both Feynman’s personal life and his scientific career. My #1 resource when researching aspects about Feynman and the history of quantum electrodynamics.

Type: Narrative | Years: 1918-88 | Pages: 680 | Price: $15.95

Buy it here

* This is an Amazon Affiliate link

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