The best physics textbooks, according to hackers
13 physics textbooks were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended physics textbook with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Feynman, Leighton and Sands
34 recommend, 3 criticize, 92% approval
Ranked 1 of 13 by recommenders
Clear, intuitive teaching from Feynman
Recommended as a clear, intuitive physics text from a gifted teacher and a useful reference for readers with a solid background; critics find it hard to learn from.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 13 physics textbooks, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Feynman Lectures on Physicsby Richard Phillips Feynman | 34 | 3 | 92% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Course of Theoretical Physicsby L.D Landau | 8 | 1 | 89% | 6 | — | — |
| 3 | Computational Physics (2nd Edition)by Rubin H. Landau and Manuel J. Páez and Cristian C. Bordeianu | 7 | 1 | 88% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 4 | General Relativityby Robert M. Wald | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 4 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | Gravitationby Charles W. Misner | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 6 | University Physicsby Francis Weston Sears and Mark Waldo Zemansky and Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| 8 | Picturing Quantum Processesby Bob Coecke and Aleks Kissinger | 4 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | The Road to Realityby Roger Penrose | 3 | 1 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Modern Physicsby Felder and Felder | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Fundamentals of Physicsby David Halliday and Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanicsby Gerald Jay Sussman and Jack Widsom | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Basic Concepts of Quantum Mechanicsby L. V. Tarasov | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same physics textbook in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to physics textbooks that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.