Richard Feynman: Signed (24 results)
More images- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Type Punch Matrix, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.Type Punch Matrix
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Near fine
US$ 150.00
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Condition: Fine in near fine jacket. dj. First printing. Inscribed first edition of this personal account of the deepening friendship between the author and the Nobel Prize-winning physicist over their shared "decade-long quest" to visit the tiny republic of Tannu Tuva. 8.25'' x 5.5''. Original half red cloth over beige paper bo…ards, gilt-lettered spine. In original color photographic jacket ($19.95). Illustrated in black and white. Vinyl sample mounted to front fly leaf. 256 pages. Inscribed by Leighton in blue on half-title: "To Fernando Vega / with best wishes / May the memory of Richard Feynman / live forever! / Ralph Leighton / Sept. 1, 1995/ Los Angeles." Jacket with touch of edgewear. Book fresh. Signed.
More imagesLanguage: English
Published by W. W. Norton, USA, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Wise Raven Books, Somerville, NJ, U.S.A.Wise Raven Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 12,950.00
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Add to basketHardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. A rare signed 2nd printing of the Nobel Prize winner's celebrated memoir, offered at a very reasonable price. Now over 40 years old, the book and dust jacket are in excellent condition -- please see the images; the spine has faded, as is common with…this title, but overall this is a very collectible copy. Feynman has boldly signed his full name on the half-title page. He continues to be a cultural touchstone, not just for his ground-breaking insights in physics, but also for his pivotal role in the space shuttle Challenger inquiry. This book was purchased on ABE years ago and has been well cared for. Signed by Author(s).
More imagesLanguage: English
Published by W. W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 1985
Series: Feynman Series, Book 1 of 2. Book 1 of 2 - Feynman Series
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Legends In History, Meadow Vista, CA, U.S.A.Legends In History
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Near fine
US$ 27,499.73
US$ 10.50 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Inscribed "To Don Roth / Richard Feynman" on title page in black ink. This is a First Edition / Eight Printing in Near Fine book and dust jacket. JAMES SPENCE Authentication JSA Letter Of Authenticity Richard Phillips Feynman; May 11, 1918 - February… 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman, jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime, Feynman became one of the best-known scientists in the world. In a 1999 poll of 130 leading physicists worldwide by the British journal Physics World he was ranked as one of the ten greatest physicists of all time. He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and became known to a wide public in the 1980s as a member of the Rogers Commission, the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Along with his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. He held the Richard C. Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology. Feynman was a keen popularizer of physics through both books and lectures including a 1959 talk on top-down nanotechnology called There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom and the three-volume publication of his undergraduate lectures, The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman also became known through his semi-autobiographical books Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think? JAMES SPENCE Authentication JSA Letter Of Authenticity. Signed by Illustrator(s).
Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist regarding quantum electrodynamics, which James Gleick calls it "a model of science writing." Octavo, original cloth with violet titles to the spine, and no advertisement for Peierls's Bird of Passage to the jacket. Boldly signed by Richard Feynman with an original F…eynman diagram on the half-title page. Feynman has signed this example, his signature graphic method of representing the interactions of elementary particles. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Preface by Ralph Leighton. Early printing withÂthe spine lettered in violet (earlier than gilt), but with wove endpapers and the jacket omitting the advertisement for Peierls's Bird of passage (1985), to which FeynmanÂhad objected (points according to Princeton University Press records).ÂA unique example. Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson.
Published by W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Boldly signed by Richard Feynman on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Mike McIver. Told to Ralph Leighton. Edi…ted by Edward Hutchings. Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador. In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentricâa combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah. âA storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain. He proves once again that it is possible to laugh out loud and scratch your head at the same timeâ (New York Times Book Review).
More imagesPublished by The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm, 1966
- Softcover
- First Edition
- Signed
- Manuscript / Paper Collectible
Seller: Manhattan Rare Book Company, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.Manhattan Rare Book Company, ABAA, ILAB
Contact seller5-star sellerOriginal Wrappers. First Edition. EXTREMELY RARE SIGNED FIRST EDITION OFFPRINT OF FEYNMAN'S NOBEL PRIZE LECTURE. Feynman fancied himself a man who could see through the fluff. When asked by the BBC whether his findings deserved a Nobel Prize, Feynman classically responded: "I've already got the prize. The prize is the pleasure o…f finding the thing out, I don't believe in honors." This attitudewhat Feynman himself coined, "a disrespect for the respectable,"was a product of his upbringing. As a young boy, Feynman's father, a uniform salesman, would often attempt to teach the young Feynman a lesson, opening a photo in the New York Times and showing Feynman an image of the Pope or a politician, surrounded by bowing admirers. He would then ask Feynman what made the Pope different from the 'ordinary' people around him. The answer, his father explained, was in the man's uniform, his title, and his prizes. [Sykes, "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out"]. This early 'disrespect for the respectable' was intertwined with Feynman's approach to knowledge. He detested false certainty: those who used big words without knowing their meanings, or theorized without understanding basic principles. This attitude is reflected in his scientific approach. Colleagues recalled how, when they presented theories to him, Feynman would make them explain their ideas from the ground up. Starting with elementary questions, he would force them to build their arguments from the simplest foundations. Inevitably, at some point, a hole in the theory would appearrevealed by Feynman's method of thinking from bedrock knowledge [Sykes; Leighton]. Perhaps Feynman disliked awards because he understood them as working as an opposite process: creating differences not on bedrock, but on the basis of status conferred by, what he saw as, detached ceremonies in far off lands. It's also difficult to gauge if this attitude was wholly genuine. Feynman was a showman. Stories abound of Feynman's muted reaction to the Nobel. When awoken by a reporter at 3:00 AM, told of his award, and asked if he was pleased, Feynman responded, "I could have found out later in the morning." When, at a more reasonable hour, a reporter asked if there was a simple explanation of what he had discovered, Feynmanwho never lacked for wordsresponded that, "there certainly must be but I don't know what it is"[Douglas Smith]. For all of his public lack of concern in titles and distinction, by the time of his 1965 Nobel ceremony, Feynman seemed to have experienced a shift. In his acceptance speech, Feynman remained deeply critical of false knowledge. But he also expressed that honors "can generate good feeling, even love among men, even in lands far beyond [their] own." As Feynman identified it, after the joy of discovery, comes a more personal occurrence: "the prize, and a deluge of messages from friends, from relatives, from students, from former teachers, from scientific colleagues, from total strangers.The prize was a signal to permit them to express and me to learn about their feelings. Each joy, though transient still, repeated in so many places, amounts to a considerable sum of human happiness. And each note of affection, released thus one upon another, has permitted me to realize a depth of love for my friends and acquaintances, which I had never felt so poignantly before." As part of his Nobel acceptance, Feynman delivered a much-awaited lecture on his winning research, titled "The Development of the Space-Time View of Quantum Electrodynamics". Perhaps unsurprisingly, Feynman took a personal tone in this address, tracing his personal and intellectual relationship with Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). Feynman reflected that, as an undergraduate at MIT, he had been most inspired by reading German-Jewish Physicist Walter Heitler, and English Physicist and Mathematician Paul Dirac. What stood out most to him in Dirac's texts were not his calculations but Dirac's motions to the theory's incompleteness. This incompleteness, Feynman l.
More imagesPublished by The M. I. T. Press, Cambridge, MA, 1967
- Softcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Downtown Brown Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Downtown Brown Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 18,000.00
US$ 7.00 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketTrade paperback. Condition: Very good. First US edition. A very scarce signed first American printing of these lectures on gravitation, mathematics and physics, principles of conservation in nature, symmetry, past vs. future, and the quantum mechanical view of nature. These lectures were recorded by the BBC for broadcast in Grea…t Britain, and the text of these talks were first published in the UK to accompany the TV show. This is the first US edition, issued in a paperback series (there are a small number of hardcover copies known to exist, although they are not mentioned in the reviews of the book). Feynman remains the greatest teacher of physics and one of the world's most beloved scientists on the strength of his lectures and memoirs. He won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics. Signed copies of this book are very scarce. Only one has sold at auction, a 1983 printing (published sixteen years after this first printing) sold by Sotheby's in 2019 for $5,250. At the time, the auctioneers wrote, "we have seen no other signed copies of this book come to market." First edition (first printing stating "First M. I. T. Press Paperback Edition, March 1967" on the copyright page, with no indications of later printings). A very good copy, with light spotting to the plain white wrappers. Lower corner of front cover creased; stray pen mark in the margin on p. 62, thus very good. This copy is inscribed, "To Ed Sanders, Dick Feynman" on the title page. Ed Saunders (with a u) was a supplier of equipment to Feynman's lab at Cal-Tech. This copy came from Ed Saunders II, to Half-Price Books, to a Portland bookscout, to me.
Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc, New York, 1950
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerRichard Feynman's copy of Smythe's central work on static and dynamic electricity. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with mathematic equations and diagrams. Signed in ink by Feynman on the front free endpaper, "R.P. Feynman 6688 Cal Tech Physics," beneath the previous owner's inscription. Feynman acquired this copy from a fell…ow member of the Caltech physics department, D.A. Guinier, after having met William R. Smythe during his graduate study at Princeton. This copy was then apparently given to Feynman's younger sister and world-renowned astrophysicist, Joan Feynman, who studied the origin of auroras and solar wind particles. In very good condition. Accompanied by a page of notes and equations relating to Harmonics written in what appears to be Guinier's hand. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery Professor of physics at Caltech and creator of the ion-velocity spectrometer, William R. Smythe quite literally wrote the book on applied electromagnetism. 'Static and Dynamic Electricity' examines the fundamental principles of electromagnetic theory and illustrates them through practical application to real problems in physics.
Published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1975; 1964; 1965, Reading, Massachusetts/Palo Alto, 1975
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerRichard Feynman's own office copy of his collected lectures on physics, with his ownership signatures. Quarto, 3 volumes, original red cloth. With Feynman's ownership signature and address to the front free endpaper of volume one, "R. P. Feynman. Calif Instit. of Technology Pasadena, Calif. 795-6811 Ext. 2688" and signature to t…he front free endpaper of Vol. II, "Office R P Feynman." Each volume is in very good condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box by the Harcourt Bindery. From the library of Richard P. Feynman. A unique example of one of the most important physics texts ever published. "The whole thing was basically an experiment," Richard Feynman said late in his career, looking back on the origins of his lectures. The experiment turned out to be hugely successful, spawning a book that has remained a definitive introduction to physics for decades. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as general relativity and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. More than 1.5 million English-language copies have been sold; probably even more copies have been sold in a dozen foreign-language editions.ÂA 2013 review inÂNatureÂdescribed the book as having "simplicity, beauty, unity . presented with enthusiasm and insight.".
Published by W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition, early printing of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Association copy, lengthily inscribed by the author to his cousin on the half-title page, "To Frances Lewine Hi Franky - send me yo…ur book -- you ought to write one- it's easy, all you have to do is tell all those wonderful stories of yours to some friend with an open tape recorder. Richard." The recipient, Frances Lewine was known as a champion for the rights of women journalists throughout the 1950's, 60's, and 70s and worked to fight discrimination. Growing up near Feynman and his sister in Far Rockaway, Lewine was assigned to the White House in 1956 as a reporter covering the activities of first ladies and Washington society. In 1965, the same year Feynman won the Nobel Prize for Physics, Lewine became the first full-time female White House correspondent. Just over a decade later, she joined the administration of President Jimmy Carter and became the Department of Transportation's deputy director of public affairs in 1977. After Carter left office, Lewine joined the Cable News Network as an assignment producer and field producer at the age of 60. As her professional career, her letter, and Feynman's inscription suggest, she had many colorful stories to tell. In an unpublished letter to Feynman dated October 23, 1965, Lewine wrote "I have spread the word all over Washington-- including the White House that I am a close relative of the Nobel Prize winner-- and I am basking in glittering reflected glory. .'three cheers for Richard Feynman----and his cousins and his sisters and his aunts.' . Aside from clucking like [I'd] won the prize myself, I have been busy at the White House with LBJ's gall bladder." (Courtesy family of Joan Feynman). Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Mike McIver. Told to Ralph Leighton. Edited by Edward Hutchings. Signed examples of this book are rare; inscribed copies are rarer still; and association copies are rarest of all. Indeed Feynmanâs signature has become something of a âFeynman storyâ of its own. The legendary physicist, it seems, who understood so much, could never understand why people collect autographs. He asked one collector, âCould you please write and explain it to me?â To another he wrote, âIâm sorry to have to inform you that I do not send autographsâ; and then he signed the letter, thereby sending an autograph. He even made a bet, once, on how many times he would have to sign his name in connection with a certain speaking engagement. He lost. Requests for Feynmanâs signature were referred routinely to his secretary, who returned instead a printed card saying firmly that âProfessor Feynman has found it necessary to refuse all requests for autographs.â Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador. In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentricâa combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah. âA storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain. He proves once again that it is possible to laugh out loud and scratch your head at the same timeâ (New York Times Book Review).
Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist regarding quantum electrodynamics, which James Gleick calls it "a model of science writing." Octavo, original cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to his sister on the half-title page, "Dedicated to my dear sister, Joan. Richard P. Feynman." The recipien…t, Joan Feynman was Feynman's younger sister and grew to be a world-renowned astrophysicist in her own right. As children, Richard was Joan's first teacher and constantly advised her to challenge herself. Today, she is known for her work on the origin of auroras (i.e., the polar lights) as well as significant contributions to magnetospheric physics and the study of solar wind particles. In 1974, Joan Feynman became the first woman elected an officer of the American Geophysical Union and was recognized by NASA with an Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2000. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box made by the Harcourt Bindery. Preface by Ralph Leighton. An exceptional association linking two brilliant titans of physics and astrophysics, most likely the finest extant. Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson.
Published by Medallic Art Co. [1979], Danbury, Connecticut, 1979
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerRichard P. Feynman's National Medal of Science, bestowed upon him by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Bronze, the medal depicts a man in contemplation writing a formula in the sand on the obverse, and reads on the reverse: "Awarded by the President of the United States of America to Richard Phillips Feynman 1979." Established in…1959, he National Medal of Science is is an honor bestowed annually by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the following six fields: behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physical sciences. National Medal of Science Laureates include: Theodore von Kármán, Cornelius Van Niel, Kurt Gà del, Gilbert Stork, Barbara McClintock, Albert Sabin, Richard P. Feynman, and Eugene M. Shoemaker. In fine condition. Housed in a custom leather case.ÂWith a gold tie pin replicating the medal housed in the original box. American theoretical physicist Richard Phillips Feynman was best known for his his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as his work in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. During his lifetime, Feynman became one of the best-known scientists in the world. He was a keen popularizer of physics through both books and lectures, including a 1959 talk on top-down nanotechnology called There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom and the three-volume publication of his undergraduate lectures, The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as general relativity and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. Along with his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirÅ Tomonaga. In addition to the Nobel Prize and National Medal of Science, Feynman received the Oersted Medal in 1972 and Niels Bohr International Gold Medal in 1973.
More imagesPublished by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company for California Institute of Technology 1975-76, Reading, Massachusetts, 1975
- Softcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerEarly printings of each volume of one of the greatest physics books ever written. Quarto, original red printed wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author in volume one, "May 5, 1982, To my friend, Al Seckel." The recipient, Alfred Paul Seckel, authored several books on the nature of illusion and perception and edited t…wo of Bertrand Russell's works. An active figure in the Freethought movement, Seckel co-designed the "Darwin fish" logo in response to the proliferation of "Jesus fish" logos used on bumper stickers and t-shirts. Each volume is in very good condition. Housed in a custom cloth clamshell box. Exceptionally rare and desirable, only a handful or inscribed copies of Feynman's Lectures On Physics are known to exist. "The whole thing was basically an experiment," Richard Feynman said late in his career, looking back on the origins of his lectures. The experiment turned out to be hugely successful, spawning a book that has remained a definitive introduction to physics for decades. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as general relativity and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. More than 1.5 million English-language copies have been sold; probably even more copies have been sold in a dozen foreign-language editions.ÂA 2013 review inÂNatureÂdescribed the book as having "simplicity, beauty, unity . presented with enthusiasm and insight.".
More imagesPublished by Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist regarding quantum electrodynamics. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by the author on the title page, "Richard P. Feynman." Fine in a fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Preface by Ralph Leighton. Rare and desirable signed. Celebrated for h…is brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson.
More imagesPublished by W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
- Hardcover
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.Raptis Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition of this collection of reminiscences by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. Octavo, original half cloth. Signed by Richard Feynman on the title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of shelfwear. Jacket design by Mike McIver. Told to…Ralph Leighton. Edited by Edward Hutchings. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are exceptionally rare and desirable. Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador. In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentricâa combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah. âA storyteller in the tradition of Mark Twain. He proves once again that it is possible to laugh out loud and scratch your head at the same timeâ (New York Times Book Review).
More imagesPublished by W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
- Signed
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Near fine
US$ 13,500.00
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Add to basketCondition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Second Printing. Second printing of the first edition. Signed by Richard Feynman on the half-title page. 350 pp. Bound in publisher's red paper-covered boards over red spine cloth lettered in gilt. Near Fine with light wear to spine ends. In a Near Fine price-clipped dust j…acket with faint sunning to spine and light edge wear, light scuff to rear spine fold. A sharp copy of the Nobel Prize-winning physicists memoir. Signed.
More imagesPublished by American Institute of Physics, Lancaster, PA & New York, 1939
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst Edition. First edition. Rare author's offprint copy signed by Richard Feynman with his nickname, "Best Regards / Dick." in blue ink on the upper left corner. 340-343 pp. Bound in publisher's self-wraps. Very Good+, horizontal fold, light wear and toning to wraps, tiny tear to right margin of front wrap, small area of nibbl…ing to rear wrap. Quite scarce in this issue, given by the publisher to the author to give to his friends and colleagues. The Nobel laureate in Physics and famed popularizer of the discipline's undergraduate thesis at MIT, published in the well-esteemed Physical Review when he was just 21. It proposes what became known as the Feynman-Hellmann theorem, a groundbreaking development in quantum mechanics. Signed.
More imagesPublished by New Mexico: Box 1663, September 1945, 1945
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United KingdomPeter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB.
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
US$ 24,109.19
US$ 29.43 shippingShips from United Kingdom to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketA candid letter recounting Feynman's late 1945 tour of plutonium facilities for the Manhattan Project, among his last work on the project. The letter captures Feynman in a period of personal and professional transition, as he reflects on the atomic bombings, contemplates his post-war career, and grapples with tragedy in his marr…iage. In September 1945, Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was coming to the end of his three-year stay at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He joined the Manhattan Project immediately after completing his doctorate, and jointly devised the formula for predicting nuclear energy yields. This letter describes, in couched language, a safety inspection tour of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and Hanford, Washington - the two vast factory cities producing plutonium for the atomic bomb. Feynman's work as a safety inspector is among the lesser-known of his contributions to the project. During a previous trip to Oak Ridge, he comprehensively reworked the plant's arrangements for storing uranium, leading many of the workers to credit him with preventing a catastrophic accident. Much of the letter is devoted to his observations of the American landscape, and particularly the Rocky Mountains, from the air - as he put it, "I sure like to fly". The typically jaunty tone disguises a period of intense personal tragedy for Feynman. In June 1945, his wife and childhood sweetheart Arline died from a long-standing tuberculosis infection. Feynman initially coped with the loss by immersing himself in the final preparations for the Trinity test on 16 July, making a concerted effort to avoid sympathy. As he was to record years later, it was only while he was in Oak Ridge, with the main work of the project complete, that the sight of a pretty dress in a department store window led him to break down over her death. The letter also alludes to his impending appointment as associate professor at Cornell, a post arranged by his director at Los Alamos. Feynman reflects that this was "a kind of surprise. I thought we would be stuck up here for one or two years - I didn't dare hope our thing would finish the war". Carol Field (1924-2023) grew up in Cedarhurst, Long Island, a little over a mile away from the Feynman family home in Far Rockaway, Queens. The letter and envelope include the Box 1663 heading: for several years this was the only address the outside world had for Los Alamos. Single sheet of Feynman's printed letterhead (241 x 158 mm), written on both sides in pencil, totalling 38 lines, with envelope addressed in Feynman's hand and franked Santa Fe 18 September 1945. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box with chemise by the Chelsea Bindery. Light creasing, edges crisp, slight browning and foxing to envelope: in very good condition.
More imagesPublished by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co, Reading, MA; Palo Alto, CA; London, 1965
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerFirst edition. First edition, first printings of all three books, with first editions of their respective exercise books. Signed by Richard Feynman in ink beneath on preface of Vol. I. Complete in three volumes, perfect bound in original red cloth lettered in white and gilt; exercise books in stapled wraps. Very Good, with light… foxing to edges and shelf wear, spine slightly sunned. No writing or marks in text. Spine of Vol. I slightly concave. slight curve to boards of Vol. III. Exercise books are in Near Fine condition overall; Vol. II wraps slightly worn. A stamped envelope and a sheet of notes from the former owner laid in. A rare signed set of the important lectures Feynman gave at the California Institute of Technology, 1961-1963. Feynman received a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics. This set belonged to the noted physicist Peter D. Zimmerman, recently purchased at the sale of his estate. Each hardcover volume has Zimmerman's neatly printed name in ink on the front free endpaper, with his dates of purchase in 1964 and 1965. Zimmerman (1941-2021) was an American nuclear physicist, arms control expert, and former Chief Scientist of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. At his death, he was Emeritus Professor of Science and Security at King's College London. He graduated from Stanford in 1963 with a BS, a Filosofie Licentiat degree at Lund University in 1967 and a Ph.D from Stanford in 1969. An uncommon first printing set of one of the most popular physics texts of all time, a compilation of the Nobel laureate's lectures at Caltech. Scarce signed. Signed.
More imagesPublished by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co, Reading, MA, 1966
- Signed
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 45,000.00
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Add to basketCondition: Very Good. Early Printings. Three volumes, early printings. Signed by Richard P. Feynman with a small doodle on the preface page next to an image of him playing a bongo drum, followed by "Hawat / Muan [?]", perhaps a reference to Frank Herbert's Dune. Bound in publisher's original red cloth stamped in gilt and white.…Very Good with fading to spines, light rubbing to cloth and light marking to covers, bumping to corners, former owner names at front, slight foxing to endsheets. UCLA students' bookstore rubber stamp to bottom textblock edge and front free endpaper of volume I. Complete with three exercise books (1964-65), bound in publisher's original stapled wraps. Very Good with rubbing to spines, light wear to covers, former owner name inside front covers and toning to pages. Based on lectures presented before undergraduate students at the California Institute of Technology, during 1961-1963 by Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, who has sometimes been called "The Great Explainer". One of the most popular physics textbooks ever written, selling over 1.5 million copies, signed copies are very scarce. Signed.
More imagesAn archive of materials pertaining to Richard P. Feynman's involvement in Theatre Arts at CalTech including a signed copy of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Feynman, Richard P.; Shirley Marneus; Michelle Feynman, et al.
Published by Theatre Arts at the California Institute of Technology; W.W. Norton; Basic Books, Pasadena, CA and New York
- Signed
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerA collection of materials pertaining to Richard P. Feynman's involvement in Theatre Arts at the California Institute of Technology (TACIT), with all materials from the estate of Shirley Marneus, who founded TACIT and directed stage productions there for over 20 years. Highlights include a signed copy of Surely You're Joking, Mr.… Fenyman! New York: W.W. Norton, 1985. Ninth printing. Near Fine with foxing to the top edge and lesser so to the fore edge and endsheets, corner crease to page 127/128; in the original dust jacket which is spine-faded; and a first edition of the posthumously published Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman, inscribed by Feynman's daughter, editor Michelle Feynman, to Marneus: "For Shirley, I know my father thought the world of you - as do I. All the best, Michelle Feynman". Additional material includes: The original cast information sheet for what is perhaps Feynman's most memorable role, the High Priest in TACIT's 1982 production of South Pacific, which includes Feynman's contact information, as well as costume measurements including his shoe and hat sizes; The rehearsal schedule for South Pacific, which notes a production meeting with Richard Feynman and fellow Caltech physicist Robert B. Leighton, who played the High Priest's assistant; Programs for six of the productions in which Feynman appeared and is credited: Guys and Dolls, South Pacific (four copies), The Lady's Not for Burning, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Kismet, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Cast list, organized by scene, for TACIT's 1978 production of Fiorello!, in which Feynman appeared as a gangster; the 1983 Caltech Faculty Roster, in which Feynman is identified as the Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics alongside his portrait; 18 copies of a memorial program insert dedicating an unnamed production to Feynman "who brought the same compassion, integrity and sense of joy to each of his roles as he did to all other aspects of his life," listing all eight TACIT productions in which he appeared. Some toning and soiling to the programs with staining to several copies of South Pacific; Guys and Dolls is hole punched along the left margin, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is folded in half. Feynman was already regarded as the most brilliant, influential, and iconoclastic figure in his field when Marneus approached the theoretical physicist, who had been a member of the Caltech staff since 1949, about performing in a 1977 production of Guys and Dolls. Feynman recalled this moment in his irreverent memoir Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, ".at Caltech there's a group that puts on plays. Some of the actors are Caltech students; others are from outside. When there's a small part, such as a policeman who's supposed to arrest somebody, they get one of the professors to do it. It's always a big joke - the professor comes on and arrests somebody, and goes off again. A few years ago the group was doing Guys and Dolls, and there was a scene where the main guy takes the girl to Havana, and they're in a nightclub. The director thought it would be a good idea to have the bongo player on the stage in the nightclub be me." Feynman was known to be an enthusiastic bongo player, after having developed a passion for samba music during his 1951-52 sabbatical in Brazil. In her remembrance of Feynman for The California Tech, a campus weekly, Marneus recalled, ".immediately, he wanted to find out more about the stage, about acting, how to do it well, to really go for the principles of the form. And though his research, classes, conferences kept him on a rigorous schedule, he always made time to come back to TACIT, each time fresh yet more skilled, each time challenging himself. Finally, as the Sewer King in The Madwoman of Chaillot, he pulled off a little jewel of characterization - a mix of wry humour, weary insight, delicious dubiety determined that the 'good guys' in the play should at least have a chance to win. The subtleties and loving details of his performance, how he 'saucered 'n blowed' his tea with an elegant lift to his pinkie finger, were noticed by a reviewer who praised his work. This worried him: 'Now I gotta be good!' He was. He was just the best. While he suffered no flatterers and few fools, his in-home courtesy was incredible. For instance, while he was rehearsing for Kismet, he was appointed to the President's Commission on the Challenger explosion. He called me the same night to explain and to ask if I'd understand if he quit the show.". Signed.
More imagesPublished by np, np, 1983
- First Edition
- Signed
- Manuscript / Paper Collectible
Seller: Manhattan Rare Book Company, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.Manhattan Rare Book Company, ABAA, ILAB
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 30,000.00
US$ 6.00 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketcustom folder. Condition: Very Good. First edition. FEYNMAN OFFERS ADVICE AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR A SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOR. An exceedingly rare two-page autograph letter from Richard Feynman from 1983, signed once in full cursive, once with a printed last name, once with his initials, and once with a printed "alias" "DR. -". Backgrou…nd: The recipient of the letter - Stephan Arnold Mascari - has provided (in an included letter of provenance) the context of the letter: "Here's the story behind the letter: It was in the middle of 1983 that I decided to give up being a lawyer in Washington, DC, and devote my life to resolving the greatest mystery in science-the nature of the conscious mind. I had been studying the issue since my undergraduate days at Georgetown and became convinced that the mind must have some other basis than the neural machinery of the brain. And several eminent neuroscientists had convincingly argued for a dualistic mind-a soul if you will. "But I had no illusions about the intellectual climate of the day. Materialism was (and is) the reigning dogma. Anyone is surely a heretic if they try to resurrect the antiquated notion of the soul. Even if I could discover a natural origin for souls, mainstream journals would reject my work. Why devote my life to this ancient dilemma if I had no way of publicizing my discoveries? "Surely, the answer would be to assemble a world-class panel of unbiased experts and let them pass judgment. So I wrote to Richard Feynman. After explaining my mission and strategy, I asked him what he thought of this idea and whether he would consider joining such a panel. This letter contains Feynman's response. "I might add that Feynman himself had little to say about the nature of the mind. He did express the view in one of his books that he considered the conscious mind to be 'yesterday's potatoes' but he left it at that. When I wrote to Feynman perhaps the best book on the subject was Brain, Mind and Computers by Stanley Jaki. I photocopied and sent thirty pages of this book to Feynman to challenge his 'potatoes' comment. He read it and quoted it back to me [in this letter] but he somehow mistook my handwritten word 'Jaki' to be 'Likki.' This then is the story behind the letter." -Stephen Arnold Mascari Feynman's Response: Feynman's lengthy hand-written response to Mascari's invitation to join his panel is as follows: Sept 6, 1983 Dear Dr. +, The best way to get an idea "evaluated"* is simply to publish it freely and see what sensible people say - or better what how experiments to test its validity turn out. All this stuff about expert panels, attorneys, secret panelists or authors, etc. is all silly and unnecessary. I don't want to be on such a panel, but thank you for thinking me worthy. On the other hand, if you do ever publish it in a normal manner, please send me a copy. Also thanks for sending the note by Likki. Ten years later we are still confused. It is a wonderful (OVER) ----- *If you are unsure of its value thru your own checking, analyzing or experimenting [page 2] problem you are working on I hope you can contribute something sen sound to it and not just another hairbrained idea. "These people who make assertions so promptly" Steno warned, ". (see page 120 of Likki "Brains, Mind and computers".) Good luck. Thanks for writing. [signed] Richard Feynman [printed] FEYNMAN P.S. IF YOU CAN'T READ MY WRITING, I SAID "NO" TO BEING ON PANEL. R.P.F. (ALIAS DR. - ) -------------------------- [The full quote by Steno that Feynman cites is indeed from Brains, Mind and Computers, p. 120 and is revealing of Feynman's way of thinking: "These people who make assertions so promptly," Steno warned, "will give you the history of the brain and the arrangement of its parts with the same assurance as if they had been present at the construction of that marvelous machine and if they had penetrated all the plans of its great Architect." As for himself, he was "resolved to be persuaded only by those who in looking for a solid science are unable to find satisfaction in all that had been written about the brain." His caution stood him in good stead. It earned him three centuries later the praise of another great Danish man of science, Niels Bohr, who commended his forebear's open-mindedness in recognizing the great inadequacies in man's knowledge of his brain. Happily for science, Steno's open-mindedness is still alive in many leaders of science and causes them to reach conclusions hardly different from his. ] Feynman addresses Mascari as "Dr. +" which is a little joke on his part, and he continues the joke by ending his letter by addressing himself as "Alias Dr. -". As Mascari explained, "In my letter to him, I argued that the conscious mind cannot be explained by the known components of the brain or any other component of the universe for that matter. Something was missing from our understanding of reality. And it was my quest to discover what this missing ingredient (responsible for consciousness and mental reality) was. In other words, I hoped to add something to the inventory of reality. I assume that Feynman was trying to encourage me by designating me 'Dr. +.' (Personal correspondence.) One 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper, written by Feynman on both sides in black ink. In cursive, except for the "P.S." Usual folds, otherwise fine. Housed in handsome custom presentation folder. AUTOGRAPH LETTERS BY FEYNMAN - PARTICULARLY WITH SUCH GOOD CONTENT - ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE. Signed.
More imagesPublished by American Institute of Physics for the American Physical Society, [Lancaster, PA & New York, NY, 1939
- First Edition
- Signed
Seller: SOPHIA RARE BOOKS, Koebenhavn V, DenmarkSOPHIA RARE BOOKS
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used
US$ 30,000.00
Free ShippingShips from Denmark to U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketFirst edition. PRESENTATION OFFPRINT INSCRIBED BY FEYNMAN. First edition, extremely rare offprint, inscribed by Feynman, of Feynman's senior undergraduate thesis at MIT, a fundamental discovery "that has played an important role in theoretical chemistry and condensed matter physics" (Selected Papers, p. 1), published when he was… just twenty-one. This is a remarkable paper, documenting the first steps in original research of one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. "Feynman was one of the most creative and influential physicists of the twentieth century. A veteran of the Manhattan Project of World War II and a 1965 Nobel laureate in physics, he made lasting contributions across many domains, from electrodynamics and quantum theory to nuclear and particle physics, solid-state physics, and gravitation" (DSB). Feynman showed that "the force on an atom's nucleus is no more or less than the electrical force from the surrounding field of charged electrons - the electrostatic force. Once the distribution of charge has been calculated quantum mechanically, then from that point forward quantum mechanics disappears from the picture. The problem becomes classical; the nuclei can be treated as static points of mass and charge. Feynman's approach applies to all chemical bonds. If two nuclei act as though strongly attracted to each other, as the hydrogen nuclei do when they bond to form a water molecule, it is because the nuclei are each drawn toward the electrical charge concentrated quantum mechanically between them" (Gleick, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman). His discovery, now known as Feynman's theorem or the Feynman-Hellmann theorem, has endured as an efficient approach to the calculation of forces in molecules. "The importance of the forces on the atomic nuclei for molecular geometry, the theory of chemical binding, and for crystal structure is evident" (Selected Papers, p. 1). ABPC/RBH lists no copy of any offprint of any of Feynman's papers in Physical Review (where he published almost all of his most important work). Not on OCLC. Provenance: Signed 'R. P. Feynman' in pencil in top margin of first page. This offprint was signed by Feynman and given by him to Robert Kinsel Smith (1920-99), a classmate and personal friend of Feynman's at Princeton University, where both Feynman and Kinsel Smith studied for their PhDs (a letter from Kinsel Smith's son testifying to this provenance accompanies the offprint). Born in Far Rockaway in the Queens section of New York City, Feynman (1918-88) entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1935 to begin his undergraduate studies. Although he originally majored in mathematics, he later switched to electrical engineering, as he considered mathematics to be too abstract. Noticing that he 'had gone too far,' he then switched to physics, which he claimed was 'somewhere in between.' To complete their bachelor's degree, all physics majors at MIT were then (as now) required to write a 'senior thesis'. "Thirteen physics majors completed senior theses in 1939. The world of accumulated knowledge was still small enough that MIT could expect a thesis to represent original and possibly publishable work. The thesis should begin the scientist's normal career and meanwhile supply missing blocks in the wall of organized knowledge, by analyzing such minutiae as the spectra of singly ionized gadolinium or hydrated manganese chloride crystals . Seniors could devise new laboratory instruments or investigate crystals that produced electrical currents when squeezed. Feynman's thesis began as a circumscribed problem like these. It ended as a fundamental discovery about the forces acting within the molecules of any substance" (Gleick). Feynman recounted his work on the thesis in an interview with Charles Weiner in March, 1966. "I went to Slater [the renowned solid-state theorist John Clarke Slater (1900-76)], and he gave me a problem, which was . why does quartz have such a small coefficient of expansion? He thought that maybe the possibility was that the quartz crystal has moveable - see it's silicone dioxide, SiO2 so I think there are oxygen's clinging to silicones, and in the motion the oxygen can swing back and forth, and it's a bent angle, turning back and forth, like the bores on the governor of an old steam engine, and when it turns - when this is oscillating, it's the same idea - it pulls the heads of the steam engine together, the ends, because the bore goes out by centrifugal force. And so the bent bottom will be shortened - I mean, it will be pulled together by the motion - and this will compensate the ordinary effects which tend to make something expand, so that the expansion will be much less than usual. Can I work out any details or estimates or something to show that in fact that's the reason that quartz doesn't expand? All right, that was the problem. I was very interested in it. The first thing I did was, I looked up the forms, crystobalite A, crystobalite B, crystal forms, and so on, to get the idea of the bonds and the angles and so on. I got in the crystal business. Then I realized I'd have to figure out how a change in forces will change the dimensions of the crystal. So then I got involved . with the connection between the forces between the atoms, and the forces - all together. For example, if a crystal is compressed, what is the compressent strength? Supposing I assume certain spring constants between all the atoms and I want to know what the elastic constants of the whole crystal are. I realized that what I had to do there was an infinite bridge truss problem, like the guys in applied engineering with bridges with a lot of members. I had an infinite number of members. But, because of the periodicity, I had an advantage that I could work out. Then I gradually developed the theory of the connection between the elastic bonds . So I worked that out, and then discovered by fooling around that I could get it for a principle of energy. Signed.
- Signed
Seller: Jeremy Norman's historyofscience, Novato, CA, U.S.A.Jeremy Norman's historyofscience
Contact seller2-star sellerFeynman, Richard (1918-88) (1) The development of the space-time view of quantum electrodynamics. Offprint from Physics Today 19 (1966). [11]pp. Light creasing. (2) Typed letter to Eliane Jobredeaux on California Institute of Technology letterhead, signed "R. P. Feynman" in a secretarial hand, with envelope. 1 sheet. Pasadena, C…A, 12 February 1981. 270 x 218 mm. Light creasing, faint rust-mark from paperclip. Together 2 items. Very good. The rare offprint of Feyman's Nobel lecture presented by Feynman 15 years after he received the Nobel Prize. This is the first instance that we can recall in which an offprint by Feynman is accompanied by his original presentation letter. Also, we learn from this letter than Feynman used a secretary to send and sign letters like this which presumably he dictated. Another detail evident from this letter is that Feynman retained copies of this offprint as many as 15 years after it was published. His letter reads, "The enclosed reprint describes the development of my experiment. Sincerely, R. P. Feynman." Feynman enclosed a reprint of his entertaining Nobel lecture, which departed from usual practice in presenting an informal anecdotal account of his discovery, rather than a rigorously scientific presentation which he feared might bore his listeners. Magill, ed., The Nobel Prize Winners: Physics, pp. 903-10. .
