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“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”: Adventures of a Curious Character Audiobook
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(4.59) - 24 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"Feynman was quite a character, indeed. I liked many of his stories, particularly those from Los Alamos. I have quite a bit of respect for a Nobel prize winner in physics who thought it was critical to explain complex topics in simple terms. "
— Susan (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain. He proves once again that it is possible to laugh out loud and scratch your head at the same time.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Quintessential Feynman—funny, brilliant, bawdy…enormously entertaining.”
— New Yorker -
“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 -
“Books like this are temptations—to give up reading and devote life to rereading…The book is as litmus paper: anyone who can read it without laughing out loud is bad crazy.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review -
“Buzzes with energy, anecdote, and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist.”
— Science Digest -
“Mr. Feynman’s escapades are worthy of being read aloud…Raymond Todd seems to get as much pleasure out of the diversities of Feynman’s career as the scientist did through living them.”
— AudioFile -
“Raymond Todd gives an extraordinary performance bringing to evanescent life the amusing adventures of this Nobel prize-winning physicist…Refreshingly honest, iconoclastic, thought-provoking, this one-of-a-kind classic is a must for every collection.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” Listener Reviews
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Rick L, 11/1/2022
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" This was a very fun and informative book about one of the giants of quantum physics. Highly recommended! "
— sloppydogg, 1/19/2021 -
" Dr.Feynman is truly a lifetime genius, the book is incredibly amazing and inspiring for all types of readers.. "
— Khalid, 5/4/2011 -
" This was a kid who was in the middle of the making of the atomic bomb. But the picture you get here is of a restless and youthful soul open to hard work tempered by good fun. How can't you like the guy. "
— F., 5/3/2011 -
" Entertaining at times. Deadly boring at times. "
— Stan, 4/30/2011 -
" This book chronicles the oddities that embodied the brilliant (and socially awkward) Richard Feynman. Really endearing tales that only lend to the charm and wit that encompassed his narrative. "
— Lauren, 4/17/2011 -
" The most entertaining biography book ever. "
— Sergey, 4/14/2011 -
" An entertaining and thought-provoking look into a great and whimsical mind. "
— Larry, 4/10/2011 -
" This is a great book to read even if you have no interest in physics or science. He had a great outlook on life. "
— Sean, 4/7/2011 -
" What more needs to be said? This is the Feynman :) If as little as 25% of his retold antics had actually happened, the man would still be an inspiration. "
— Cristian, 4/6/2011 -
" Awesome, Feyman talked about Physics in a very different way, the way that i couldn't imagine before, highly recommended :d "
— Iqbal, 4/5/2011 -
" A nerdy, sexist, funny guy who, while playing the bongos, chasing girls and picking safe boxes also happened to help create the atom bomb. "
— Anya, 4/2/2011
About Richard P. Feynman
Richard P. Feynman (1918–1988) earned a BS from MIT and a PhD from Princeton. From 1942 to 1945, he assisted with the development of the atomic bomb. He then taught at Cornell and Caltech, where he contributed to the theories of superfluidity and quarks. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on the theory of quantum electrodynamics.
About Raymond Todd
Raymond Todd is an actor and director in the theater as well as a poet and documentary filmmaker. He plays jazz trombone for the Leatherstocking quartet, an ensemble that gets its name from one of his favorite Blackstone narrations, The Deerslayer. Todd lives in New York.