Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

By: Richard P. Feynman

Narrated by: Raymond Todd

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

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)

Excellent Audiobook!

Despite what some other reviews say, LOVED the narrator. Excellent voices, and I felt like he really got the excitement and wonder about natural phenomena that exemplified Feynman's work across.

Surely it's amazing, Mr Feynman

I liked the reader and I liked the story. I felt this is a good book for biography lovers and scientists. This amazing and hooking book surely deserves this rating.

Way of thinking of a true scientist

As one who has also had a scientific schooling, professional background and way of thinking, discovering Mr. Feynman, going through his purely scientifical life, was a delightful and fun experience. I recommend this book for all science majors, to be read as early as possible in their careers.
The narrator surely contributed, for he did an excellent job. It is really very well narated.

Feynman stands on his own; Todd is a great voice

Any lover of great science or great stories will appreciate the curiosity and humor of Richard Feynman. His recollections and insight found a very natural voice in the chosen narrator, who only provides a great addition to the excellent content of the volume.

Entertaining

I am skeptical of some of the stories involving professor Feynman, but I found this book to be full of valuable insights. very entertaining book, from what I imagine is a very interesting person.

Very enjoyable. Good reading performance

Raymond Todd does an excellent job at making this audiobook entertaining and easy to understand and listen to.

entertaining stories

great to listen to these stories that give a look inside an intelligent mind. i enjoyed the way he would look at things differently than an average person might. also seeing how he would explore topics at depth until he learned what he wanted to learn or decided it wasn't worth his while. the narrator's voice was funny, a bit offbeat but seemed appropriate.

Should have listened earlier

I worked in the public library as a high school student in the early nineties and remember shelving this book, noting the cover, the fact that he was a nobel prize winner and the intriguing title. I was a student with a keen interest in science, physics. (Really, I'm still a student with a keen interest in these things!) Fast forward to today reading Farnam Street (which has lately gathered a lot of press - I liked it before it was cool) Shane Parrish talks a lot about mental models and working from first principles. Feynman was often cited.

I recently took a job where I commute for about an hour. Not wanting to waste my time I started listening to the back catalog of books I've always wanted to read but somehow never go around to. Data shows that retention from audio books is nearly as good as from reading them so I decided to try audible.

I wish I had read this book in high school. What an interesting person! What a great outlook and attitude. Without knowing it his approach and openess to learning, academic and experiential, closely matches my own. Feynman, writing this at the age of 67 is able to articulate his infectious attitude, his accomplishments and principles in a conversational and easy to understand way. He somehow does this with humility and without self aggrandizing at the same time talking about his work on the Manhattan Project, his Nobel prize, and name-dropping contemporary giants of science.

To boot, one of my concerns getting into audio books was that my perception, retention and understanding of the information would be negatively affected by the narrator. In this case the narrator, Raymond Todd, is outstanding and perfectly matched in tone to the material. It's further enhanced by his use of voices for some of the characters. His cadence and inflection is distinctive. (I've started imitating him when I talk which my daughters like but annoys my wife.) To summarize: 'reading' (listening) this material was, in fact enhanced by the narrator.

My only regret is that I wish I read this book 26 years ago when I first encountered it. What else am I missing?

What an interesting person.

I thought this was a great listen. The guy has an interesting way of seeing life.

An amazing book about an extremely interesting man

An amazing book about an extremely interesting man.

Richard Feynman is one of a kind and so is the stories he tells.