Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science

Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science is the eighth non-fiction book by the American theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss. The text was initially published on March 21, 2011 by W. W. Norton & Company.[1][2] Physics World chose the book as Book of the Year 2011.[3] In this book, Krauss concentrates on the scientific biography of the physicist Richard Feynman.[4]

Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science
Hardcover edition
AuthorLawrence M. Krauss
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectRichard Feynman, physics
GenreNon-fiction
PublishedMarch 21, 2011
PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages368 pp.
ISBN978-0393064711
Preceded byHiding in the Mirror 
Followed byA Universe from Nothing 

Review

Armed with material like this, any biography is going to be an attractive proposition, and Quantum Man certainly has no shortage of intriguing anecdotes and insights. We get a feel for the ebullience, as well as the maddening irreverence, that defined his character. The problem is that Krauss – also a theoretical physicist – concentrates a little too heavily on the science, rather than the life, of Richard Feynman. He seems overly concerned that his subject's antics might distract readers from fully appreciating quantum physics, an arcane world that Feynman ruled but which baffles most others. As a result, we are presented with pages and pages on the minutiae of electron interactions and photon exchanges at the expense of any human interest. The result is a book that strains to do intellectual justice to Feynman the scientist but leaves him short-changed as a rounded personality.

—The Guardian[5]

References
  1. Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science (Great Discoveries). ISBN 0393064719.
  2. "Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science (Great Discoveries) by Lawrence M. Krauss". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  3. "Physics World's 2011 Books of the Year", Physics World 19 December 2012
  4. JOHNSON, GEORGE (2011-04-01). "Richard Feynman, the Thinker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-07-09. Though he couldn't resist recycling some well-worn Feynman anecdotes (and providing a couple of his own), he concentrates on Feynman the thinker, and on the contributions that merited his fame.
  5. McKie, Robin (15 May 2011). "Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science by Lawrence M Krauss – review". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2015-07-09.


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