Manhattan Project: The Story of the Century
Product ID: 326439802
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Though thousands of articles and books have been published on various aspects of the Manhattan Project, this book is the first comprehensive single-volume history prepared by a specialist for curious readers without a scientific background. This project, the United States Army’s program to develop and deploy atomic weapons in World War II, was a pivotal event in human history. The author presents a wide-ranging survey that not only tells the story of how the project was organized and carried out, but also introduces the leading personalities involved and features simplified but accurate descriptions of the underlying science and the engineering challenges. The technical points are illustrated by reader-friendly graphics. . Review: this is the book - I am a nuclear historian and have read almost everything published on the development of nuclear weaponry. I consider this book to be a very complete history of the Manhattan Project. In spite of this completeness of Professor Reed's history of the project (the development of the Atomic Bomb during World War II), his work is very concise and accessible to the layman. Professor Reed, who has written and taught extensively on these subjects and has authored works in the field that are highly technical, has produced a history that a layman with no familiarity with the history of nuclear weapons can read and enjoy. The book is not only very well written, but it was written with great attention to accurate detail. I have seen many books on the history of nuclear weapons that contain inaccuracies. I read this work with a critical eye open for inaccuracies, and I found none. Overview of the book. Professor Reed starts with some of the early atomic history and basic atomic physics. This is followed by the history and engineering that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Project, led by General Leslie Groves, used to design, develop and deliver the first atomic bombs during World War II. There is a chapter on the work that was being done in Germany during that same time to develop an Atomic Bomb. This is an important subject, because the main reason the United States developed the Atomic Bomb was to beat the Germans, who were thought to be well on the way to developing this weapon. The book finishes, as one might expect, with details of the atomic bombardment on Japan which led to the end of the war. At the end of the book, there is available to the reader a chronology, some brief biographies, a glossary and a bibliography, set out with clarity and scholarship not often found in works on the history of atomic weapons. Most importantly, this book is a very enjoyable read. Laymen will find this book to be a great introduction to the subjects mentioned in this overview. Review: TEN STARS! - Far and away the best account I've read of the Manhattan project. Ten times more detail than most retellings of this story, but still completely readable and accessible. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
| Best Sellers Rank | #3,224,023 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #7 in Nuclear Chemistry #136 in Industrial & Technical Chemistry (Books) #308 in Physical & Theoretical Chemistry (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 31 Reviews |
J**Z
this is the book
I am a nuclear historian and have read almost everything published on the development of nuclear weaponry. I consider this book to be a very complete history of the Manhattan Project. In spite of this completeness of Professor Reed's history of the project (the development of the Atomic Bomb during World War II), his work is very concise and accessible to the layman. Professor Reed, who has written and taught extensively on these subjects and has authored works in the field that are highly technical, has produced a history that a layman with no familiarity with the history of nuclear weapons can read and enjoy. The book is not only very well written, but it was written with great attention to accurate detail. I have seen many books on the history of nuclear weapons that contain inaccuracies. I read this work with a critical eye open for inaccuracies, and I found none. Overview of the book. Professor Reed starts with some of the early atomic history and basic atomic physics. This is followed by the history and engineering that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Project, led by General Leslie Groves, used to design, develop and deliver the first atomic bombs during World War II. There is a chapter on the work that was being done in Germany during that same time to develop an Atomic Bomb. This is an important subject, because the main reason the United States developed the Atomic Bomb was to beat the Germans, who were thought to be well on the way to developing this weapon. The book finishes, as one might expect, with details of the atomic bombardment on Japan which led to the end of the war. At the end of the book, there is available to the reader a chronology, some brief biographies, a glossary and a bibliography, set out with clarity and scholarship not often found in works on the history of atomic weapons. Most importantly, this book is a very enjoyable read. Laymen will find this book to be a great introduction to the subjects mentioned in this overview.
L**Y
TEN STARS!
Far and away the best account I've read of the Manhattan project. Ten times more detail than most retellings of this story, but still completely readable and accessible. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
A**R
Excellent Buy
Wonderful Book!
D**C
Not really a book
Written as a series of lectures, this is not a story: for that, one needs to read Richard Rhodes’ “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”. It is written in retrospect, making it difficult to discern what the participants knew at the time: it is an explanation more than it is a history. Valuable, but inhuman.
H**S
It's good but very heavy reading
Well researched but still a bit too technical to read easily, could do with a ladybird version
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