Richard Feynman: A Life in Science

The authors begin their prologue with the pertinent question, `Does the world really need another book about Richard Feynman'. My immediate response was `No' because Mehra ( The Beat of a Different Drum) has given a biography for the physicist, Gleick ( Genius) has given a detailed general biography accessible to the interested layperson, and Feynman himself has given an insight to his mischievous and precocious pranks with his two volumes of anecdotes ( Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?), a gentle but accurate introduction to his science and philosophy in QED and The Character of Physical Law and, of course, the wonderful three-volume set of Lectures on Physics. There are others too, but these stand out. Unlike Feynman's approach to physics, which allowed for all possible histories to contribute to the final process, this book traces a single history in strict chronological order. It is very conventional. It also seemed very familiar; there were very few stories about Feynman I had not read before, and here they are retold rather than reinterpreted, the early chapters in particular seeming to rely heavily on Mehra's book, the later ones drawing more widely but reiterating many of Feynman's own anecdotes. Alongside the biography there are some clear and concise explanations of the physics. These are generally very good indeed. I thought the discussion of the absorber theory, developed by Wheeler and Feynman in the 1940s, was particularly well done, and the final chapter, on `Physics after Feynman', really did give a feel for the impact of this man's work on physics at the most fundamental and universal level. There are a few black and white photographs of Feynman in the centre of the book and a couple of sketches elsewhere (including, of course, some Feynman diagrams) but I was disappointed not to see a picture of the famous Feynman van (especially since the author made a pilgrimmage to see it while in Pasadena). Each chapter ends with a list of references and there is a short bibliography at the end of the book. In some ways I was disappointed with the book. It added nothing to my knowledge of Feynman, and little to my appreciation of his work. Feynman is certainly one of my heroes in physics, and this book was an excuse for some hero worship, which is in its own way fine, but I don't think it really got under the skin of the man. It is certainly well written, an easy and enjoyable read, but it takes all existing stories at face value and is totally uncritical. It does capture the excitement and adventure of A Life in Science (its subtitle) and is the sort of book to fire up the imagination of a sixth-former who has heard something about this eccentric genius and wants to learn a little more, but if you've read the books listed earlier you will find nothing new here. Having said that, I must of course add that I devoured the book in three days, and if you are looking for an easy diversion to remind you what a wonderful physicist Feynman was, then this can be enjoyed like easy-listening music.