Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman Audio CD – Unabridged, April 27, 2005

I won't repeat the many good points other reviewers have made. This book is truly a gem. One more cool thing I noticed is that Feynman's letters provide a wonderful glimpse into how he kept others from wasting his valuable time. Turns out Feynman was a master of "begging off" when he didn't see value in doing things -- a key skill for a Nobel Prize winner who got far more requests than he could ever take up! And, not surprisingly, he did this with candor, brevity and often with humor. Though his beg-off letters aren't grouped together, the many examples in this volume could round out a Feynman "how to" guide for declining unwanted offers.Here are just a few samples of Feynman's prose when saying NO:...in response to an inquiry about returning to Los Alamos as a summertime consultant, he writes: "My plans for the summer are not definite. I expect to loaf around a great deal...I would just as soon not bother about filling out all the blanks for the contract until there is some definite reason for it."...declining a request to contribute to a book about Hans Bethe, he offers: "I like Hans so very much that I feel I 'ought' to do what you want--but who invented this infernal idea of writing an article for a guy when he gets to be 60? Isn't there an easier way to show friendship and regard? I feel like I feel on Mothers Day."...and declining a request to visit a colleague and well-wisher shortly after receiving the Nobel prize, he says: "I am sorry I shall not be able to stop in New York, either coming or going as I have a letter from a professor [the person requesting the visit] suggesting that I take very good care of my time."There are a number of other examples, but you get the idea. It's just one more way to enjoy this great collection!

Although there are a lot of book about Feynman, this one, in his own words, is the best yet. The strongest part of the book is the section describing the letters between Feynman and Arline (as well as a letter from his parents trying to persuade him to break off the relationship because of Arline's illness, a recommendation that Feynman responded to by marring Arline) - it's a beautiful and moving love story. Yet, in other parts of the book, Feynman's flaws are made manifest - this is rare in biographies. For example, he withdraws from the National Academy of Sciences apparently because he does not like honors, but he trumpets his Nobel constantly.I recommend the book to people interested in Feynman specifically or science generally.

Desiring a sojourn from research material, I turned to words of inspiration from Richard Feynman. As usual, I was not disappointed. Let us read from the pages of this book:(1) “The writers who have interpreted my view of the positron as an electron going backward in time have not realized that the theory is completely consistent with causality principles and in no way implies that you can travel backward in time.” (page 300).(2) “Don’t pay attention to authorities, think for yourself.” (page 305) and “I have had a great interest in his theorem about the non-existence of turbulence in two-dimensions. I independently discovered quantized vortex lines without knowing of his previous discovery of them.” (page 316, “his” refers to Lars Onsager).(3) “Almost my entire knowledge of quantum electrodynamics came from a simple paper by Fermi in the Reviews of Modern Physics, 1932.” (page 377) and “There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made.” (page 396).(4) “In fact, physics must be studied alone--you must teach yourself.” (page 266) and “I am proud of these books (Feynman Lectures on Physics), but on the problem of when to use them, by whom, and where, I have no opinion.” (page 240).(5) “I am not against the abstraction of mathematics--that is what makes it useful.” (page 219) and “We helped each other in several ways” and “he showed me a trick for integrals that led to my parameter trick” and “many people joked that we were competitors--but I don’t remember feeling much that way.” (page 376, referring to Julian Schwinger).(6) There are photographs from various stages of his life. There are six appendices: one of these is an essay regards the Gell-Mann and Feynman collaboration, Feynman "claiming they work together separately." (pages 457-467). Learn that Feynman studied Woods' Advanced Calculus while in high-school. (page 177).(7) Concluding: If you need diversion from technicalities and enjoy words from Richard Feynman, this is a fine book to dip into. Recommended to everyone !

First off, im a rather large fan of richard feynman. He is a very interesting individual with a lot of good input about science and more importantly life. If you are not willing to listen to a collection of letters throughout his lifetime, this is not for you! However, if you feel like you have the time to listen to it and want a better outstanding of what its like to travel into the mind of a worldwide famous physicist, then this is for you.

If you are familiar with feynman this is just what you would expect from this great man. This is him uncut and uncensord. When ever i feel like smiling and gain some inspiration i pick this book up and flip to a random page, it works everytime.

An intime look at the character of a great man.