George Johnson
…an enlightening addition to the field…Though he couldn't resist recycling some well-worn Feynman anecdotes (and providing a couple of his own), [Krauss] concentrates on Feynman the thinker, and on the contributions that merited his fame…Other good books give a feel for this and Feynman's later accomplishments. But I understood it all better after watching over the shoulder of Krauss the physicist as he worked his way through the Feynman oeuvre—not the stories of fast times in Rio, but the scientific papers.
—The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
Physicist Richard Feynman has a reputation as a bongo-playing, hard-partying, flamboyant Nobel Prize laureate for his work on quantum electrodynamics theory, but this tends to obscure the fact that he was a brilliant thinker who continued making contributions to science until his death in 1988. He foresaw new directions in science that have begun to produce practical applications only in the last decade: nanotechnology, atomic-scale biology like the manipulation of DNA, lasers to move individual atoms, and quantum engineering. In the 1960s, Feynman entered the field of quantum gravity and created important tools and techniques for scientists studying black holes and gravity waves. Author Krauss (The Physics of Star Trek), an MIT-trained physicist, doesn't necessarily break new ground in this biography, but Krauss excels in his ability, like Feynman himself, to make complicated physics comprehensible. He incorporates Feynman's lectures and quotes several of the late physicist's colleagues to aid him in this process. This book is highly recommended for readers who want to get to know one of the preeminent scientists of the 20th century.
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Richard Dawkins
"Such a charismatic figure deserves a charismatic, knowledgeable, and literate physicist as his warts-and-all biographer. Lawrence Krauss fits the bill admirably and rises to the challenge with style, panache, and deep understanding."
Brian Greene
"Seamlessly entwining colorful episodes of physics’ most ‘curious character’ with wonderfully clear descriptions of Feynman’s penetrating breakthroughs in quantum theory, Krauss’s account is both entertaining and masterly. A great read."
Walter Isaacson
"Lawrence Krauss's wonderful biography manages to combine a rolling narrative with a crystal clear explanation of Richard Feynman's science. Its lively descriptions make both electromagnetism and quantum mechanics fun, while Krauss's personal reflections on his subject add a new level of insight into the man and his scientific legacy. Quantum Man is a masterpiece."
Steven Pinker
"A lively and engrossing biography of a lively and engrossing man. Krauss recounts the life and ideas of one of the century’s greatest scientist with a deep understanding of both the physics and the man, presented with great lucidity and charm."
From the Publisher
Lawrence Krauss's wonderful biography manages to combine a rolling narrative with a crystal clear explanation of Richard Feynman's science. Its lively descriptions make both electromagnetism and quantum mechanics fun, while Krauss's personal reflections on his subject add a new level of insight into the man and his scientific legacy. Quantum Man is a masterpiece.--Walter Isaacson
Seamlessly entwining colorful episodes of physics' most 'curious character' with wonderfully clear descriptions of Feynman's penetrating breakthroughs in quantum theory, Krauss's account is both entertaining and masterly. A great read.--Brian Greene
A lively and engrossing biography of a lively and engrossing man.--Steven Pinker
JULY 2011 - AudioFile
The bulk of Krauss’s biography of the late Nobel laureate physicist focuses more on his theories, revelations, and scientific contributions than on his quirky personality. The work is at first engaging but becomes dry. The author’s narration does not hit the mark of a professional. His pace and tone are uniformly monotonous, and long sentences consistently trail off in volume. Quotes from Feynman’s lectures, writings, and personal life are included, but nothing in the audio performance differentiates these from the balance of the text. Still, Krauss addresses Feynman’s intense drive with great facility, and his respect and deference for Feynman are palpable. Ultimately, though, for those unfamiliar with quantum physics, this audiobook is a not an effective way to learn much about Feynman’s fascinating life and creative mind. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
"Richard Feynman was a legend for a whole generation of scientists, long before anyone in the public knew who he was," writes Krauss (Physics/Arizona State Univ.;The Physics of Star Trek, 2007 etc.) in this engaging biography.
The author's first introduction to the physicist who became a hero to him occurred in high school, when a science teacher gave him Feynman's (1918–1988) popular work The Character of Physical Law. In 1974, Krauss, then an undergraduate physics major, attended a keynote address by Feynman, and a photo of him talking to the physicist appeared in a national magazine. However, it was really only after the 1986 Challenger disaster that Feynman's name became widely known—as a member of the NASA investigatory panel, he placed an O-ring in a glass of ice water, demonstrating its vulnerability to cold. This incident encapsulates Feynman's creative genius and his ability to solve puzzles by unconventional means—whether about the foundations of quantum physics or simply a matter of poor engineering. Krauss traces how he refused to accept the conventional wisdom on any subject but would scrutinize it from different points of view before coming to his own conclusion. Feynman's work has had an impact on almost every aspect of modern science today, from nanotechnology to particle physics, semi-conductors and high-temperature superconductors. In the author's view, he was arguably the most important scientist in the latter half of the 20th century, comparable to Einstein in influence, although his genius was not to achieve fundamentally new results but to look at "old things from a new viewpoint." Krauss explains the complicated scientific material in a clear, lively style that would have earned Feynman's approval.
A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick's Genius (1992).
