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A Nobel Prize-winning physicist, a loving husband and father, an enthusiastic teacher, a surprisingly accomplished bongo player, and a genius of the highest caliber---Richard P. Feynman was all these and more. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track--collecting over forty years' worth of Feynman's letters--offers an unprecedented look at the writer and thinker whose scientific mind and lust for life made him a legend in his own time. Containing missives to and from such scientific luminaries as Victor Weisskopf, Stephen Wolfram, James Watson, and Edward Teller, as well as a remarkable selection of letters to and from fans, students, family, and people from around the world eager for Feynman's advice and counsel, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track not only illuminates the personal relationships that underwrote the key developments in modern science, but also forms the most intimate look at Feynman yet available. Feynman was a man many felt close to but few really knew, and this collection reveals the full wisdom and private passion of a personality that captivated everyone it touched. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track is an eloquent testimony to the virtue of approaching the world with an inquiring eye; it demonstrates the full extent of the Feynman legacy like never before. Edited and with additional commentary by his daughter Michelle, it's a must-read for Feynman fans everywhere, and for anyone seeking to better understand one of the towering figures--and defining personalities--of the twentieth century.
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Richard Feynman received his undergraduate degree from MIT in June of 1939. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Richard Feynman received his undergraduate degree from MIT in June of 1939. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A delightful book whose 460 pages are so readable as to be all to quickly turned but so enjoyable that they will surely be revisited. The letters published here are immensely varied: at times awfully sad, at others filled with joy; some funny enough to raise an out-loud laugh, others plain and businesslike. Taken in all, they confound the perception of Feynman as a bit of a joker who was not a keen letter writer - though he could sometimes be slow to reply.
Michelle Feynman, his daughter, has done an excellent job of collating the letters, and some other papers, within significant time frames and of providing context with the briefest possible explanatory notes.
The title refers to Feynman's views on teaching methods for high school students, as exemplified in his disagreement with Michelle's teacher over the acceptability and merits of said child's occasionally inventive approach to algebra problems. It does also encapsulate perfectly the man's creative and inquisitive persistence, no matter what the task in hand: persistence so productive when directed at academic enquiry, so inspiring in the lecture room, but so baffling when let loose within the realms of political or administrative convention.
The most enjoyable thing about reading these letters is the sheer niceness that they convey, to friends or family, of course, but also (and especially) when replying to letters from people he had never met: people uncertain of their capabilities, ambitions or understanding. That a man of such genius could take time to write long responses to questions from a child, a struggling teacher, even an outright crank, is a cause of fresh amazement every time it happens.
It shouldn't be, of course. That compulsion to provide real understanding was the bedrock motivation of his lectures, his books, his devoted advisory work on education. As with the formal lectures, these brief notes on problems composed for individual correspondents always take a fresh look at some aspect of the subject. (Well, they certainly made me think, anyway.)
Do read this book of Feynman's letters if you have liked any of his other works, whether his lectures or lighter stories.
For a much better review than mine, one written by a physicist who knew and loved the man 'this side idolatry', read chapter 23 of Freeman Dyson's "The Scientist As Rebel", another superb book.
Michelle Feynman, his daughter, has done an excellent job of collating the letters, and some other papers, within significant time frames and of providing context with the briefest possible explanatory notes.
The title refers to Feynman's views on teaching methods for high school students, as exemplified in his disagreement with Michelle's teacher over the acceptability and merits of said child's occasionally inventive approach to algebra problems. It does also encapsulate perfectly the man's creative and inquisitive persistence, no matter what the task in hand: persistence so productive when directed at academic enquiry, so inspiring in the lecture room, but so baffling when let loose within the realms of political or administrative convention.
The most enjoyable thing about reading these letters is the sheer niceness that they convey, to friends or family, of course, but also (and especially) when replying to letters from people he had never met: people uncertain of their capabilities, ambitions or understanding. That a man of such genius could take time to write long responses to questions from a child, a struggling teacher, even an outright crank, is a cause of fresh amazement every time it happens.
It shouldn't be, of course. That compulsion to provide real understanding was the bedrock motivation of his lectures, his books, his devoted advisory work on education. As with the formal lectures, these brief notes on problems composed for individual correspondents always take a fresh look at some aspect of the subject. (Well, they certainly made me think, anyway.)
Do read this book of Feynman's letters if you have liked any of his other works, whether his lectures or lighter stories.
For a much better review than mine, one written by a physicist who knew and loved the man 'this side idolatry', read chapter 23 of Freeman Dyson's "The Scientist As Rebel", another superb book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
a great complement to the other Feynman books
22 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
Before reading this book, I had read both the classic "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman", and its sequel, "What Do You Care What Other People Think?". In my opinion, all three books are well worth reading, but, interestingly, for different reasons each.
The first book contains several intriguing stories, mainly from Feynman's personal life, which are entertaining in their own right, but also provide insight into the personality of this unique individual. Highly recommended! The second book starts off in a similar spirit, but concludes with a more serious discussion of the Challenger accident investigation. Not as entertaining, but still interesting.
This book is simply a collection of letters to and from Feynman throughout his lifetime. As such, some of the letters, lacking background knowledge, can feel a bit out of place at times. However, having a general framework of reference from the other two books, I found this one much more revealing in details about Feynman's character than any of the two other books. However, I'm not sure how much I would have gotten out of it if this had been my first Feynman book. Thus, I would strongly recommend you read at least "Surely You're Joking" before you pick this one up.
Overall, the value of this book lies in bringing together different stories we have read about in the two other books, giving us a warm and fuzzy feeling of closure. Many of the letters describe the behind-the-scenes personal details missing from the somewhat neutral story descriptions in the first two books, thereby completing the picture of this "curious character".
The first book contains several intriguing stories, mainly from Feynman's personal life, which are entertaining in their own right, but also provide insight into the personality of this unique individual. Highly recommended! The second book starts off in a similar spirit, but concludes with a more serious discussion of the Challenger accident investigation. Not as entertaining, but still interesting.
This book is simply a collection of letters to and from Feynman throughout his lifetime. As such, some of the letters, lacking background knowledge, can feel a bit out of place at times. However, having a general framework of reference from the other two books, I found this one much more revealing in details about Feynman's character than any of the two other books. However, I'm not sure how much I would have gotten out of it if this had been my first Feynman book. Thus, I would strongly recommend you read at least "Surely You're Joking" before you pick this one up.
Overall, the value of this book lies in bringing together different stories we have read about in the two other books, giving us a warm and fuzzy feeling of closure. Many of the letters describe the behind-the-scenes personal details missing from the somewhat neutral story descriptions in the first two books, thereby completing the picture of this "curious character".
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Perfectly reasonable listening
3 Jun 2009
Format:Paperback
My wife recently gave me the audio version of this book (on CD). I never had listened to an audio book before, but with my background in science (medicine), I gave it a try, having read the various short autobiographies by Feynman. First, though, I converted the CD files to MP3 files in my iTunes program, then listened to the entire book over several weeks in my car on the way to and from work. (All of the 8 CDs can be fitted onto a 2GB Nano iPod, thus minimizing the inconvenience of having to swap out discs while listening.)
I was very surprised. The book is voiced by Richard Poe (doing all of Feynman's words) and Johanna Parker, who plays the voices of various correspondents, male or female. Richard Poe comes across as no-nonsense, crusty, harrumphing sort of person, while Johanna Parker is alternately devotional (Feynman's first wife) or takes on various other personas (an Indian undergraduate science student, a grade school boy, a British correspondent), all inflected appropriately.
The book takes us through the years of Feynman's professional career, from graduate studies to his work for the Shuttle disaster commission in 1986, shortly before his death from an abdominal tumor. Unfortunately, there are large gaps in the collection, probably a result of the inability to locate crucial letters for various reasons, and there is virtually nothing from Feynman's last wife (and nothing from his second wife, from a brief marriage Feynman would have preferred to forget).
Aside from this, the recording was very compelling. One could hear the wisdom of this great (if pompous) scientist, who repeatedly argued for a rational approach to problem solving. It was like hearing a well-regarded counselor in my car, a father figure (who himself was a proud father). The words are not too difficult for people without science backgrounds. You hear his views on promoting women in science, raising children, Greek archeology. Sometimes his responses are all too terse, just one sentence, but these convey how much he wanted to get right to the point.
Both Poe and Parker are very engaging, and after several hours' listening, the story is over all too quickly. So, you play it again.
Well worth listening to for anyone who wants to be inspired to take the most direct and logical way to sort through life's problems.
I was very surprised. The book is voiced by Richard Poe (doing all of Feynman's words) and Johanna Parker, who plays the voices of various correspondents, male or female. Richard Poe comes across as no-nonsense, crusty, harrumphing sort of person, while Johanna Parker is alternately devotional (Feynman's first wife) or takes on various other personas (an Indian undergraduate science student, a grade school boy, a British correspondent), all inflected appropriately.
The book takes us through the years of Feynman's professional career, from graduate studies to his work for the Shuttle disaster commission in 1986, shortly before his death from an abdominal tumor. Unfortunately, there are large gaps in the collection, probably a result of the inability to locate crucial letters for various reasons, and there is virtually nothing from Feynman's last wife (and nothing from his second wife, from a brief marriage Feynman would have preferred to forget).
Aside from this, the recording was very compelling. One could hear the wisdom of this great (if pompous) scientist, who repeatedly argued for a rational approach to problem solving. It was like hearing a well-regarded counselor in my car, a father figure (who himself was a proud father). The words are not too difficult for people without science backgrounds. You hear his views on promoting women in science, raising children, Greek archeology. Sometimes his responses are all too terse, just one sentence, but these convey how much he wanted to get right to the point.
Both Poe and Parker are very engaging, and after several hours' listening, the story is over all too quickly. So, you play it again.
Well worth listening to for anyone who wants to be inspired to take the most direct and logical way to sort through life's problems.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Extremely interesting and at times quite moving
4 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback
This collection of Feynman's correspondence contains, among other things, the best description I have yet scene of his relationship with his first wife, Arline. Their relationship is limned through Feynman's careful correspondence with Arline's doctors, his own letters to his parents who were against the marriage, and his unwavering support for her. The section concludes with a haunting letter Feynman wrote to Arline after her death.
Juxtaposed with his nascent professional career and his work on the Manhattan project, this represents one of the most moving love stories of our time. (It's annoying how various Hollywood movie version of this story have trivialized it or turned into cliche).
There are many other interesting facets of the book, as for example the insight into life generally during the middle of the twentieth century at a time when scholarship generally and physics specifically were still warmly supported. Even the tales of Feynman's remarkably supportive high school teachers, who responded to his misbehavior in class by giving him advanced textbooks and free run of the laboratory, seem very much from another era.
This book does, however, make one want to read more of Feynman's correspondence. If nothing else, he was an exceptionally good writer.
Juxtaposed with his nascent professional career and his work on the Manhattan project, this represents one of the most moving love stories of our time. (It's annoying how various Hollywood movie version of this story have trivialized it or turned into cliche).
There are many other interesting facets of the book, as for example the insight into life generally during the middle of the twentieth century at a time when scholarship generally and physics specifically were still warmly supported. Even the tales of Feynman's remarkably supportive high school teachers, who responded to his misbehavior in class by giving him advanced textbooks and free run of the laboratory, seem very much from another era.
This book does, however, make one want to read more of Feynman's correspondence. If nothing else, he was an exceptionally good writer.
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