Feynman's Tips on Physics (2nd ed.).

I first read the “Big Red Books,” the Feynman Lectures in Physics, in the summer before starting graduate school, more than 30 years ago. It was the perfect time in my life to appreciate those magnificent books. I enjoyed reviewing the standard topics—standard, but sparkling with Feynman's magic spice. However, I was startled to find so much unfamiliar material. I had just completed what I thought was a first-rate undergraduate education, but it seemed there were big holes in my undergraduate preparation. I was delighted to have those holes filled by the Master; it was a wonderful capstone experience. (I've since come to appreciate that my undergraduate education was first-rate because all the holes were easily filled.) But I remember wondering, how on earth could those Caltech freshmen possibly absorb all this upper-division material? Were they supermen (Caltech was all-male at the time), or was Feynman clueless about his...