← the founders library

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character

Richard P. Feynman

Book content checked: . What this means

Buy a copy
Amazon USAmazon UKAmazon DE

These are Amazon affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Founder connections

  • Demis HassabisRecommended; formative reading
    In his Nobel Prize interview, Hassabis names Feynman’s memoir as an early influence and recommends it to students for its excitement about science. No exact personal edition is identified.
    Source

Summary

Richard Feynman recounts adventures from a life in physics and beyond it. The stories include exchanging ideas with Einstein and opening safes that held nuclear secrets, showing his curiosity and unconventional approach to problems. This edition includes a new introduction by Bill Gates, with Ralph Leighton credited as editor.

  • SourceSurely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! — W. W. Norton · Description and edition details; February 23, 2018, ISBN 9780393355628; Gates introduction

Why read it Our view

Read it for an account of curiosity in action: asking questions, trying things and approaching unfamiliar problems. The stories can prompt a founder to consider which habits keep learning enjoyable and which assumptions deserve a fresh look.