- Hardcover: 576 pages
- Publisher: Allen Lane; First Edition edition (31 May 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0713998156
- ISBN-13: 978-0713998153
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.8 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 618,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Doomsday Men
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Product Description
The Church Times, 23 November 2007
"The narrative is gripping and morally astute... at times, it becomes a cross between Bill Bryson and Umberto Eco"
InTheNews.co.uk, June 13, 2007
"academic, entertaining, informing, thought-provoking...8/10"
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this on a bit of a whim after reading the blurb on the back. I am so glad I did as it is an amazing book which charts the history of the nuclear bomb from the very first inceptions back with Marie Curie all the way through to the present day. The twist is that this is a sort of history book which also looks at the effect these weapons have had on the psyche of the populous over the years through the mediums of Science Fiction and normal media as well. As a child of the 70s/80s who thought that the world would end I found this book amazing!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Doomsday Men offers a sobering look at the cultural, political and scientific factors influencing the development of superweapons in the 20th century. Smith brilliantly shows how the literary creations of H. G. Wells and others, in works such a "The World Set Free," inspired nuclear scientists to pursue the development of weapons so utterly destructive that they were meant never to be be used. Yet they were, twice, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, much to the horror of scientists such as Szilard and Einstein who advocated the development of atomic bombs only for preventing the Nazis from gaining a monopoly on the dreadful secret. Instead of the utopias imagined by Wells and the world government advocated by Einstein, the world launched into a sinister Cold War and a continued arms race, which has led, even until the present, to a diversion of needed resources into the development and maintenance of expensive and horrifically lethal armaments. Smith's book is a meticulously researched tour-de-force that offers readers an important glimpse into the rationale behind the creation of the world's nuclear arsenal, as well as a splendid examination of how culture and science interact. All in all, a highly worthwhile read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Completely captivating from the first page, this book never ceases to surprise and enchant. A picturesque stroll through the interwoven history of science and fiction, I learned a lot about both while being thoroughly entertained. The cross-pollination between imagination and science has been more fruitful than I knew, and I definitely view the world differently since reading this book.
Old enough to have done bomb drills in my early school days, but too young to have taken them very seriously, fear of nuclear annihilation was only on the outer fringes of my consciousness. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up entirely without such fear? I didn't know that fear of superweapons has been with us for far longer than the Cold War -- for about a century, in fact. P.D. Smith made me think about the important role this fear has played socially, politically, economically and culturally. I cannot overstate how highly I recommend this book to anyone - it is not just for geeks.
Like all the best books, Doomsday Men is best devoured whole and then gone back over to be savoured slowly -- the pleasure goes on long after the first reading. Not simply a history book, it is filled with thought-provoking parallels that are entirely relevant for today. A deadly serious subject is treated with erudition and rare charm. I cannot recall any other time when my ignorance was so delightfully dispelled.
Old enough to have done bomb drills in my early school days, but too young to have taken them very seriously, fear of nuclear annihilation was only on the outer fringes of my consciousness. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up entirely without such fear? I didn't know that fear of superweapons has been with us for far longer than the Cold War -- for about a century, in fact. P.D. Smith made me think about the important role this fear has played socially, politically, economically and culturally. I cannot overstate how highly I recommend this book to anyone - it is not just for geeks.
Like all the best books, Doomsday Men is best devoured whole and then gone back over to be savoured slowly -- the pleasure goes on long after the first reading. Not simply a history book, it is filled with thought-provoking parallels that are entirely relevant for today. A deadly serious subject is treated with erudition and rare charm. I cannot recall any other time when my ignorance was so delightfully dispelled.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
DOOMSDAY MEN by P.D. Smith
P.D. Smith, a lecturer at University College London, traces the parallel development of chemical, biological and nuclear "superweapons" in fact and fiction and offers insights into... Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Southworth
In balance
A balanced view of the world - well the so-called major players - and their primary consideration - world domination. Read more
Published 5 months ago by The Reader
Informatove but flawed
Bought this as I have a real interest in science and the cold war, but most of the book appears to be a biography of Leo Szilard interspersed with synopses of phrophetic... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2007 by K. Mitchell
So nearly brilliant
A great story, well told, BUT....
PD Smith seems to be obsessed with science fiction, and page after page is wasted on banging on about what science fiction was writing... Read more
PD Smith seems to be obsessed with science fiction, and page after page is wasted on banging on about what science fiction was writing... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2007 by Mr. Rowan Gormley
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