Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track
the collected letters of Richard P. Feynman
by Richard Phillips Feynman, Michelle Feynman, Timothy Ferris · first published 2005
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One of the towering figures of twentieth-century science, Richard Feynman possessed a curiosity that was the stuff of legend. Even before he won the Nobel Prize in 1965, his unorthodox and spellbinding lectures on physics secured his reputation amongst students and seekers around the world. It was his outsized love for life, however, that earned him the status of an American cultural icon--here was an extraordinary intellect devoted to the proposition that the thrill of discovery was matched only by the joy of communicating it to others. In this career-spanning collection of letters, many publ
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It's interesting to look at what may be a homepage for the recipient of the letter: http://johnen.shinshu-u.ac.jp/~mano/profile_e.html The letter is from an excellent collection of Feynman letters, "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track". There's a thoughtful review of the entire collection (by Freeman Dyson) here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2005/oct/20/wise-ma...
on “What Problems to Solve” ↗A few months ago I read the compilation of Feynman's letters that was published in 2005 that this is referring to (title: Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track). I believe I even read it after someone mentioned it on HN. If you are interested in that personal side it's pretty interesting. A little raw at times but the content speaks for itself.
on “A Short Talk about Richard Feynman (2005)” ↗Funnily enough, I was reading this letter last week as part of the excellent compilation, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (which has many more letters). I've always admired Feynman's ability and perseverance to "see" something immediately as opposed to doing the long and drawn out calculations that are a badge of honor…
on “Do not remain nameless to yourself (1966)” ↗…whether the insect had eight legs or a hundred legs, but he understood everything. And I was interested because there was always this kick at the end-a revelation of how wonderful nature really is." (from "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track", an awesome book).
on “Why Talent Is Overrated” ↗The letter is in "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track", a book of letters edited by Feynman's daughter, Michelle, and with the co-operation of his son, Carl.
on “Feynman's Letter to His Wife” ↗Small story about the time I read the collection Feynman's letters (I think it's a book called Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track) The beginning of the book contained a lot of cute letters between him and his wife Arline. I was curious how much of the book would be this, considering I know she died of TB, so I flipped ahead and…
on “Love After Life: Richard Feynman's Letter to His Departed Wife” ↗