Is Feynman's Statistical Mechanics Suitable for a First Introduction?

[ergospherical]

I found this little book titled “Statistical Mechanics; A set of lectures” by Feynman in the library. I’m not taking Stat Mech until Easter so I’d just be reading for interest at this stage, although the content looks fairly involved. Is it suitable for a first introduction?

 

[sysprog]

I found this little book titled “Statistical Mechanics; A set of lectures” by Feynman in the library. I’m not taking Stat Mech until Easter so I’d just be reading for interest at this stage, although the content looks fairly involved. Is it suitable for a first introduction?

I think that in general, Feynman is perspicuous if and only if you're adequately prepared. His lectures are fun to browse around in even if you're not very well-prepared, because his expositions are so colorful. But that's maybe rather like looking at an illustrated book written in a foreign language that you don't know.

 

[ergospherical]

Thanks, although I'm looking for focused comments specific to this text. Its style has little resemblance to the more well-known set of general undergraduate lectures (it's far more terse and mathematical).

 

[vanhees71]

It's a marvelous book as all of Feynman's textbooks (I mean the real textbooks, not so much the popular-science books), but it's definitely not for use as an introductory textbook.