The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Tracy Kidder The comprehensive history of the Bomb -- and also a work of literature. San Francisco Chronicle A monumental and enthralling history...Alive and vibrant in the book are all the scientists...and each human being stands vividly revealed as a man of science, of conscience, of doubts or of hubris. Carl Sagan A stirring intellectual adventure...clear, fast-paced, and indispensable. . .. what I read already impressed me with the author's knowledge of much of the history of the science which led to the development of nuclear energy and nuclear bombs and of the personalities which contributed in the U.S. to the development of these. I was particularly impressed by his realization of the importance of Leo Szilard's contributions which are almost always underestimated but which he fully realizes and perhaps even overestimates. I hope the book will find a wide readership. -Eugene P. Wigner, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1963 I found The Making of the Atomic Bomb well written, interesting and one of the best in the great family of books on the subject. It is fascinating as a novel, and I have learned from it many things I did not know. Mr. Rhodes has done his homework conscientiously and intelligently Emilio Segre, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1959 The Making of the Atomic Bomb is an epic worthy of Milton. Nowhere else have I seen the whole story put down with such elegance and gusto and in such revealing detail and simple language which carries the reader through wonderful and profound scientific discoveries and their application. The great figures of the age, scientific, military, and political, come to life when confronted with the fateful and awesome decisions which faced them in this agonizing century. This great book dealing with the most profound problems of the 20th century can help us to apprehend the opportunities and pitfalls that face the world int he 21st. -I. I. Rabi, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1944 Mr. Rhodes gives careful attention to the role which chemists played in developing the bomb. the Making of the Atomic Bomb strikes me as the most complete account of the Manhattan Project to date. -Glenn T. Seaborg, Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, 1951 I found The Making of the Atomic Bomb well written, interesting and one of the best in the great family of books on the subject. It is fascinating as a novel, and I have learned from it many things I did not know. Mr. Rhodes has done his homework conscientiously and intelligently -Emilio Segre, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1959 .. . what I read already impressed me with the author's knowledge of much of the history of the science which led to the development of nuclear energy and nuclear bombs and of the personalities which contributed in the U.S. to the development of these. I was particularly impressed by his realization of the importance of Leo Szilard's contributions which are almost always underestimated but which he fully realizes and perhaps even overestimates. I hope the book will find a wide readership. -Eugene P. Wigner, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1963 A great book. Mr. Rhodes has done a beautiful job, and I don't see how anyone can ever top it. -Luis W. Alvarez, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1968 A monumental and enthralling history [...] Alive and vibrant in the book are all the scientists...and each human being stands vividly revealed as a man of science, of conscience, of doubts or of hubris. -San Francisco Chronicle The best, the richest, and the deepest description of the development of physics in the first half of this century that I have yet read, and it is certainly the most enjoyable. -Isaac Asimov A stirring intellectual adventure, and a clear, fast-paced and indispensable history of events on which our future depends. -Carl Sagan The comprehensive history of the bomb--and also a work of literature. -Tracy Kidder The Making of the Atomic Bomb is an epic worthy of Milton. Nowhere else have I seen the whole story put down with such elegance and gusto and in such revealing detail and simple language which carries the reader through wonderful and profound scientific discoveries and their application. The great figures of the age, scientific, military, and political, come to life when confronted with the fateful and awesome decisions which faced them in this agonizing century. This great book dealing with the most profound problems of the 20th century can help us to apprehend the opportunities and pitfalls that face the world int he 21st. I. I. Rabi, Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1944