The Life and Science of Richard Feynman - by James Gleick

This book took a while to read, but it was worth the effort. I was only slightly familiar with Richard Feynman before, but now feel that I know him quite well. The book is an excellent balance between a discussion of him as a person and him as a scientist. The science is covered in a lot of detail at a level that I found accessible and interesting. From time to time the book goes off at a slight tangent and spends a few pages talking about one of his colleagues. As they were always of significance in his life, I found these interludes helpful and interesting.

By the end of the book, I was a little sad that Feynman is less of a household name than some other scientists of the 20th Century, with whom he was associated. Einstein, Dyson and Oppenheimer come to mind. I do feel that the author made a good effort to set the record straight.