Rare Book of the Day – Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, Richard Feynman. First Edition.

Richard Feynman was an interesting cat. Born in 1918, he is widely recognized as the most brilliant and influential figure in post-war theoretical physics. He developed important theories in quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and particle physics. He assisted in the Manhattan Project and was part of the Rogers Commission which investigated the space shuttle Challenger disaster. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 and, as if that wasn't enough, is viewed as pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. Not a bad resume!

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman is his first book for the popular market. Autobiographical, it is a collection of reminiscences from his life, including his childhood, his graduate work, the Manhattan Project and his ventures into art and samba music. It is edited from taped conversations Feynman had with his close friend and drumming partner Ralph Leighton. This is the first printing of the first edition:

Here's the first part of a wonderful Feynman lecture on the basics of quantum basics. Notice his bare feet...

And here's Feynman playing the bongos:

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