# The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Feynman, Leighton and Sands

34 Hacker News commenters recommended The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Feynman, Leighton and Sands and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** 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.

## Why people recommend it

- Clear, intuitive teaching from Feynman (5 comments): "Good teachers like Feynman do a great job of it which is why their books are so highly valued." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46970593)) "Feynman was a uniquely gifted teacher that made things intuitive and simple." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46420629)) "His method of delivery is so clear I find it immensely relaxing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46972022))
- Authoritative, checkable, citable source (5 comments): "but the content is his, as you can easily verify by going to The Feynman Lectures Website" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47064411)) "Feynman is trusted because his lectures are texts we can check, argue with, and cite." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49506323)) "Feynman is the primary author of that book, for good reason." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46984053))
- Broad coverage of physics (2 comments): "write about all of physics in 1800 pages, using only 2 levels of hierarchical headings: chapters and A-level heads in the text" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47354399)) "would give one the basics one would ever need" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897239))
- Admired by many great physicists (4 comments): "one of the most (if not THE most) popular physics books ever written, and many great physicists sing its praises" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46979491)) "I'd recommend everyone studying physics read his lectures and watch some interviews" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46977572)) "many swore by his books, particularly for quantum, it was a bit of a secret" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46969772))

## What people warn about

- Needs prior physics knowledge (2 comments): "It's not a book to marathon, unless you have a (almost) complete degree in Physics" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46425810)) "It's a pleasure to read it but you must already read 1 to understand it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49591016))
- Hard to learn from (2 comments): "I never understood the appeal of Feynman and these Lectures" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46420232)) "I never found his lectures easy to learn from" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46429390))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau and Lifshitz](https://hackerapproved.com/p/course-of-theoretical-physics.md): 8 recommend
- [Computational Physics (2nd Edition) by Giordano and Nakanishi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/computational-physics.md): 7 recommend
- [General Relativity by Robert Wald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/general-relativity.md): 6 recommend
- [Engineering Thermodynamics](https://hackerapproved.com/p/free-textbook-on-engineering-thermodynamics.md): 6 recommend
- [Gravitation by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gravitation.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805390464?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780805390469) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Feynman, Leighton and Sands", https://hackerapproved.com/p/feynman-lectures-on-physics/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).