The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. I

I’m glad purchasing used book. The quality is almost as promised. The pages are good. Content-wise this book explains things in depth compared to physics for scientists and engineers. It doesn’t start with motion. You might need some help though. The program is good

I was a little worried about this "glossy pages" issue brought up by the other posters. However, it was way cheaper and easier to just buy this edition, so I took the plunge. When I got it, I compared it side by side with the library copy that I had been reading. (The library copy was the old edition). Sure, I could notice a subtle difference, and my wife and I both thought that perhaps the library copy could be slightly easier on the eyes. But it was a minor thing; from reading the other posts I worried this edition would be highly reflective with glare like a shiny glossy magazine, which is just not the case. The next day I returned the library copy to the library; I've been reading this one ever since and not once have I had a thought like "gee, I wish it was less glossy" while reading it. I've just been reading it, never distracted from the content. Admittedly, I'm not older (I'm 31) and I've always had pretty good eyesight, so I can't speak for everybody, but I felt like for me, just getting this nice, new, cheaper copy was the no-brainer decision, with which I'm completely satisfied. In closing, this book was $26.49 when I bought it in early September on this website. I don't know why the price has gone up. (I was considering getting the hardcover version originally, but that price also went up).

Of course the substantive content is beyond reproach, but it remains a challenging read, regardless of one's educational background. However, if you are reading the Feynman Lectures with Kindle for the iPad, be aware you will be disappointed in the formatting -- when inline mathematical expressions are rendered, these formulas are not properly displayed. Speaking with the editor of the Feynman Lectures, he informs me that Amazon has not updated the Kindle software for the iPad to support the newer mobi standard (or Amazon delivers the old .mobi version to iPads instead of the newer .mobi standard?). He informs me that publishers generally are complaining to Amazon about this problem for some time.

Great book

The three volumes (and workbook) that compose the Feynman Lectures are a superb, highly-challenging, multi-year course cutting across the fundamentals and most important sub-categories of physics. Feynman’s charisma, brilliance, and occasionally even humor color every page, making even dry topics less onerous. But make no mistake, this is difficult material, not “Physics for Dummies”; unless you already have a graduate degree in the hard sciences or mathematics, the concepts, equations and laws, and applications presented often are daunting and will require careful and repeated review. That said, decades after its first publication, this remains the most approachable and engaging comprehensive text on physics that I have come across. Much of the feedback regarding the New Millennium Edition has concerned the skimpy inner margins and the typeface. The inner margin is indeed mildly annoying and often requires finger pressure while reading, but all text is readily readable. The upside is that the large outside margins allow for clear depiction of figures and illustrative examples. As for the typeface, I would have preferred larger and thicker letters for more comfortable readability, but it is not difficult to read the type. I never had any eye strain after reading several pages in a sitting (brain strain, yes, nearly everyone will experience that! But the typeface is not that bad and never bothered my eyes excessively). In short, while some compromises are apparent in the printing, none of them are dealbreakers, and the other updates (and corrections, yes) make this the best compendium yet of Feynman’s brilliant lectures formalized into a text.

This is a wonderful book containing the first 52 lectures on physics given by the famous Richard Feynman. It is very accessible to those who are not expert in the subject, entertaining, and inspiring, as any true classic. The lectures are each up to 10 pages long and masterfully organized in ascending difficulty. A joy to read.

A Classic. Best teaching of physics and how you do it that exist. For undergraduates and graduates equally. Can be read regularly and as literature.

This physics book is excellent for its time. Not an easy read and needs to be supplemented by exercises. I had to review parts of my old calculus many times but it was worth it. I will be buying the next two volumes in time.