Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track
The Letters of Richard P. Feynman
by Richard P. Feynman
Recommended by Naval Ravikant and Jim O'Shaughnessy
Check price on AmazonProof-backed recommendation
Amazon availability
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
A loose collection of letters spanning decades, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations reads like eavesdropping on a mind that hops from classroom stories and family notes to technical clarifications and mischievous asides. Its useful part is the author's voice—direct, curious, often funny—giving small, vivid windows into how he thought and taught. Main limitation: the episodic format and uneven technical density mean some pieces feel contextless or repetitive, and several letters dive into physics that will baffle readers without background or patience.
Read this if...
- •a university-level physics instructor assembling colorful anecdotes to humanize lectures — useful now when you need short, usable stories and teaching-side reflections
- •an amateur science reader who enjoys personality-driven nonfiction and wants to peek into a scientist's private correspondence — good for relaxed reading sessions and curiosity-driven evenings
- •a graduate student in STEM needing morale and perspective between heavy coursework — handy as short, characterful breaks that model informal problem-talk and pedagogical flair
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when letters dive deep into technical physics without context — those long, specialist asides are common lose interest points
- •annoying if you prefer a linear, argument-driven book rather than episodic letters that repeat themes and return to similar anecdotes
- •not for readers who want practical exercises or step-by-step guidance — this is correspondence and reflection, and it lacks hands-on exercises or systematic how-to sections
A Nobel Prizewinning physicist, a loving husband and father, an enthusiastic teacher, a surprisingly accomplished bongo player, and a genius of the highest caliberRichard P. Feynman was all these and more. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Trackcollecting over forty years' worth of Feynman's lettersoffers an unprecedented look...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a university-level physics instructor assembling colorful anecdotes to humanize lectures — useful now when you need short, usable stories and teaching-side reflections
- an amateur science reader who enjoys personality-driven nonfiction and wants to peek into a scientist's private correspondence — good for relaxed reading sessions and curiosity-driven evenings
- a graduate student in STEM needing morale and perspective between heavy coursework — handy as short, characterful breaks that model informal problem-talk and pedagogical flair
- you'll likely put it down when letters dive deep into technical physics without context — those long, specialist asides are common lose interest points
- annoying if you prefer a linear, argument-driven book rather than episodic letters that repeat themes and return to similar anecdotes
- not for readers who want practical exercises or step-by-step guidance — this is correspondence and reflection, and it lacks hands-on exercises or systematic how-to sections
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 3 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Science, and Nonfiction.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Naval Ravikant
Co-founder of AngelList; angel investor
“Richard Feynman is a famous physicist. I love both his demeanor as well as his understanding of physics. I’ve also been reading Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track by Feynman and rereading Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman, a biography about him.”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Accidental Presidents by Jared Cohen. Recommended by 10 sources.
“Accidental Presidents offers eight narrative portraits of men who succeeded to the U.S. presidency without election, using anecdote-rich scenes and readable context to show how personality and circumstance interact with office power. It’s strongest as a set of self-contained stories that make succession stakes concrete for non-specialist readers; it does not prioritize dense archival argument or exhaustive methodology, so expect some interpretive generalizations and repeated themes across cases. Use it for fast historical orientation rather than scholarly deep-dives.”
Similar books
How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.