Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Making of the Atomic Bomb (Paperback)

by Richard Rhodes (Author) "In London, where Southampton Row passes Russell Square, across from the British Museum in Bloomsbury, Leo Szilard waited irritably one gray Depression morning for the..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


14 used from £8.08
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 7 used & new from £16.15
Paperback (Reprinted edition) 12 used & new from £9.60
Library Binding (Reprint) 5 used & new from £26.41

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   A.Sakharov H-Bomb Creator opens new browser window
www.russiatoday.com  -  And Prominent Humanitarian Read the Nobel Prize Winner's Bio 
   Study Guide Book Summary opens new browser window
BookRags.com  -  The Making of the Atomic Bomb Themes, Characters, Essays: $7.99 
   Cheap Textbook Prices opens new browser window
GetTextbooks.co.uk  -  Search low prices at 101+ bookshops Compare Prices & Save up to 60% ! 
  
 

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Dark Sun (Sloan Technology Series)

Dark Sun (Sloan Technology Series)

by Richard Rhodes
4.3 out of 5 stars (6)  £10.19
The Bomb: A Life

The Bomb: A Life

by Gerard DeGroot
4.5 out of 5 stars (4)  £12.99
Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race

Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race

by Richard Rhodes
3.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.03
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

by Kai Bird
4.7 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.97
Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements

Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements

by John Emsley
5.0 out of 5 stars (11)  £6.49
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 928 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; New edition edition (5 May 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0684813785
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684813783
  • Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.5 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 23,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Science & Nature > Physics > Atomic & Molecular
    #2 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Warfare & Defence > Weapons & Equipment > Nuclear Weapons
    #3 in  Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Weapons > Atom Bomb

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

The author recounts the story of how the atomic bomb was developed, from the discovery at the turn of century of the vast energy locked inside the atom, to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan during the Second World War.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
In London, where Southampton Row passes Russell Square, across from the British Museum in Bloomsbury, Leo Szilard waited irritably one gray Depression morning for the stoplight to change. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Making of the Atomic Bomb
83% buy the item featured on this page:
The Making of the Atomic Bomb 4.7 out of 5 stars (17)
Dark Sun (Sloan Technology Series)
9% buy
Dark Sun (Sloan Technology Series) 4.3 out of 5 stars (6)
£10.19
The Bomb: A Life
3% buy
The Bomb: A Life 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
£12.99
Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race
3% buy
Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race 3.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£6.03
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling Light, 4 April 2005
Hard to add to the best reviews of this astonishing book. I'd normally struggle with an 800 page tome, but this had me riveted from beginning to end. Somehow, Richard Rhodes interweaves science, politics and the good old human ego in this tale of discovery, dedication, achievement and madness.

The sheer scale of the author's research is admirable enough, but the scale of that which he describes is vast. This is, in essence, how hard-won discoveries, often by brilliant individuals, gradually reveal the process of fission chain reaction, and how this knowledge is inevitably usurped by the military in a desperate, superhuman mobilisation of resources to create the first atomic bomb.

The book is more than the sum of its parts, which are grand enough. It touches on the human condition and how powerful we can be both as individuals and as dynamic, dedicated groups working towards a common goal. The goal here, terribly, is one of destruction, but the raw power of the bomb is mirrored in the controlled power of the writing and the hope that the author and contributors hold out for the wiser use of their terrifying 'gadget'.

Read it and be awed.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Giant of a Book, 15 Feb 2005
By "scribeoflight" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
There aren't many books that can claim to tell a story as important as the story related here, in Richard Rhodes' astounding history of an astounding sequence of scientific discoveries. His book, as attested to by the praise, lives up to the epic reality.

The first two thirds are the most interesting - the tale of the science, still new and very mysterious, becoming clearer gradually, often in tiny increments; and the tale of the scientists, who were moving civilisation towards something both magnificence and terrible. The final third is riveting, but can't match the thrilling story of the maturing of atomic theory and experiment.

Rhodes pulls everything into the book - conversations and recollections on the streets of London; commando missions to destroy heavy-water plants in Norway; descriptions of hikes up hills during which scientists discussed the next set of scientific possibilities; and intimate character portraits of not only the key players, but of anyone who in some way impacted upon the development of the bomb. Some may find the style so exhaustive as to be exhausting; but if you are patient, Rhodes will effortlessly show you whole worlds you would never otherwise have seen.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Personalities, politics, technology, the first arms rac, 6 Dec 2002
By A Customer
A very readable account of the first realisation that a sustainable nuclear chain reaction was possible through to the use of nuclear bombs in the 2nd World War. This account was an eye opener that showed the fear felt by the allies that Hitler might beat them to the bomb. Before reading this book I had no idea why America had felt the need to use the bomb but the book reveals how the political momentum forced it's use.

I fascinating read which I found so intriguing that I went on to Rhodes next book "Dark Sun".

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Weighty tome about harmless overblown fireworks
This glorified pamphlet about the progression from the first sparks of radiation to the explosive nature of the Fat Boy and Little Man bombs is a treat. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Robo-Ramsey Tupper's Ghost, Lu...

5.0 out of 5 stars A true story of innovation - theory to reality
This book was recommended as part of an Innovation Management course that I undertook.

If you can see beyond the history, and the politics there are a number of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Robert A. Carter

5.0 out of 5 stars The nuclear arms development bible
This is book is sincerley the most engaging and well-written non-fiction title I have ever read. Exceptionally well-researched, this book takes you from the beginnings of atomic... Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2007 by Phil Gill

4.0 out of 5 stars A Blast
In 800 brain- and finger-crushing pages Richard Rhodes outlines everything you might ever want to know about the Bomb and some things you won't. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2007 by Dogbertd

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Work!
This stunning piece of writing is a must for anyone with even passing interest in science and technology. Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2006 by Martin Greenwood

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly phenomenal achievement, utterly compelling
The very best book I've ever read on the subject, that simple. The author well and truly deserved his Pulitzer Prize and the raft of other accolades he received for this book. Read more
Published on 28 Jul 2003 by Mr. K. Papas

5.0 out of 5 stars Explosive stuff
You'd imagine that this might be boring but the author mingles a lot of the scientific developments at time with the political developments, and the personalties involved. Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2003 by Mc Adams

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best
This is such a fantastic book. Certainly in my top 10 books ever. Rhodes does an amazing job of keeping the pace going while pulling together a maze of personalities, politics,... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2002 by J. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT A BOHR AT ALL
The real message of this book seems to be escaping people, perhaps because there is no obvious excitement to it. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2002 by DAVID BRYSON

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking
The most impressive non-fiction book I've ever read. Rhodes captures everything here, the personalties, the ethics and the physics. Don't be put off - it is very readable. Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2001 by stephen_devlin@hotmail.com

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.