THE PLEASURE OF FINDING THINGS OUT

Editor Jeffrey Robbins provides transitions to an array of lectures, papers, and interviews presented by nuclear physicist Richard Feynman, all of which reveal how his great mind worked. The pedantic, self-assured style (with little laughs and asides) achieved by the reader beguiles the listener into imagining that the professor himself delivers the talks. And even if the rigorous math confounds us in a few places, the brilliance and logic of the thinker still stand out. The anecdote about trying to annoy the Los Alamos letter censors would make a statue laugh. From cracking atoms to cracking safes, these stories will educate and stimulate serious readers. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]