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Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! cover art

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

By: Richard P. Feynman
Narrated by: Raymond Todd
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Publisher's Summary

One of the most famous science books of our time, the phenomenal national bestseller that “buzzes with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist” (Science Digest).

Richard Feynman, one of the world’s greatest theoretical physicists, thrived on adventure. His outrageous exploits once shocked a Princeton dean’s wife to exclaim: “Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!”

In this phenomenal national bestseller, the Nobel Prize–winning physicist recounts in his inimitable voice his experiences trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek, painting a naked female toreador, accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums, and much else of an eyebrow-raising and hilarious nature. Woven together with his views on science, Feynman’s life story is a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, eternal skepticism, and raging chutzpah.

©1985 by Richard P. Feynman (P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"A chain reaction is not a bad analogy for Feynman's life. From a critical mass of gray matter it goes off in all directions, producing both heat and light." (Time)

What listeners say about Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

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  • AB
  • 29-08-2019

amazing book

just an overall well written book, with genuine intentions.

and a true feeling that Feynman is your long time friend

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2 people found this helpful

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Excellent reading by Raymond Todd.

Excellent reading by Raymond Todd. Great story, highly recommended. I didn't even realize how time passed

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  • CJ
  • 13-02-2024

A really interesting listen about a man and his passion for learning

The story was written (and therefore read) in the first person which really draws you into the story. Richard P. Feynman loved learning and that really came through. His little anecdotes along the way were also amusing.
The narrator was excellent which made the book even better.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Great mind bad man

I liked the start of this book it was interesting couldn’t stop listening.. however as the book went on I found that Feynman was a womaniser and cheated on his later wives and it made it hard to appreciate the rest of the book .

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I enjoyed this alot

Im a sucker for how epic people lived their lives and the way they thought and conducted themselves.. well worth a read to find new and interesting ways of seeing things.

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Such an interesting character!

I had heard of Feynman here and there, but honestly knew pretty much squat diddly about him other than he was a physicist. I however only just got through highschool maths, So when I found and started this book I was not expecting to understand it or be able to follow it well enough to finish it, but he is so hilarious, so logical and yet so outside the box, that it was impossible not to follow him / it through. Turns out this was not a hard listen and a thoroughly enjoyable book, I’m so glad I listened!

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Brilliant!

Knew next to nothing about Feynman but feel enlightened to have heard his adventures. What a full and examine life he led

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Sigh

So I'm a young scientist and I was looking for something different then this. This book paints Richard Feynman as a sexist jerk. I understand that "it was a different time" and "things were different" but some of the attitudes expressed in this book are just kinda bad and feel really disgusting. This is proof that the "best minds" can be really flawed people.

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Brilliantly read story of a brilliant man.

Most striking is how Richard Feynman followed his curiosity down so many varied paths and managed to find joy and fulfillment in so many places. To me, that is the lesson here.

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    2 out of 5 stars

snoozer

after reading all of the reviews I was surprised at how boring this one was

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