Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atom Bomb 1939 - 1949 (HARDBACK)
UK £20.00,
UK Publication March 2005
ISBN 9781848310445
Hardback
Buy: | Amazon UK| Waterstones| Book Depository
Rich in personality, action, confrontation and deception, Atomic is the first fully realized popular account of the race between Nazi Germany, the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, in the midst of World War Two and its immediate aftermath, to build humankind's most destructive weapon.
The book draws on declassified material such as MI6's Farm Hall transcripts, coded Soviet messages cracked by American cryptographers in the Venona project and interpretations by Russian scholars of documents from the Soviet archives.
Jim Baggott weaves these threads into a monumental book that spans ten historic years, from the discovery of nuclear fission in 1939 to the aftermath of 'Joe-1', August 1949's first Soviet atomic bomb test. It includes dramatic episodes such as the sabotage of Vemork's heavy water plant by Norwegian commandos, made into a film starring Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris, and Neils Bohr and Werner Heisenberg's meeting in Copenhagen, the subject of Michael Frayn's play.
Baggott also tells of how Allied scientists were directly involved in the hunt for their German counterparts in war-torn Europe following D-Day; and brings to light of the reactions of captured German scientists on hearing of the Allied 'success' at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Why did physicists persist in developing the atomic bomb, despite the devastation that it could bring? Why, despite having a clear head start, did Hitler's physicists fail? To what extent did the Soviet atomic programme rely on intelligence gathered by spies such as Klaus Fuchs, Theodore Hall, David Greenglass and the Rosenbergs? Did the Allies really plot to assassinate a key member of the German bomb programme? Did the physicists knowingly inspire the arms race?
Atomic is an epic story of science and technology at the very limits of human understanding; a tale barely believable as fiction, which just happens to be historical fact.
Doctor Atomic, an opera based on the life of Robert J. Oppenheimer, starts at the English National Opera's London Coliseum on February 25th - click here for more details.
--------------
‘I [have] read everything on the subject that I could lay my hands on, but I never read such a good, comprehensive account as Jim Baggott’s… Highly recommended.’ A N Wilson, Reader’s Digest
‘High drama… fascinating reading’ BBC Focus Magazine, March 09
‘Grimly compelling. Thorough and accessible.’ Daily Telegraph
‘The best popular science book of the year to date by far.’ www.popularscience.com
‘Baggott’s investigation is an accessible account of the race to build the world’s first atomic weapons. Compelling.’ Good Book Guide
‘Atomic is the tale of the creation of the Atomic bomb during wartime, and the political fallout from the realization of these powerful weapons… Most importantly Atomic is about the people and personalities behind the bomb… It’s a disturbing book – simply because it’s a very disturbing story.’ Book Geeks
‘Comprehensive and clear-flowing book by Jim Baggott… the real nub of this thriller of a book: the human brain is the thing that fills you wit fearful awe.’ Diplomat Magazine
'This is an excellent example of popular science, explaining a series of difficult concepts clearly and coherently but without sacrificing accuracy. When combined with the personal stories of the scientists the result is an excellent study of the development of the first atomic bomb.’ www.historyofwar.org/bookpage
‘Jim Braggott’s clear, elegant prose never falters, whether unveiling the scientists and spies who raced to unlock the secrets of the atom bomb, or describing the sub-atomic particle which drove the physicists on to what J Robert Oppenheimer later called “sin”.’ www.telegraph.co.uk/culture
‘World War II changed many things and not the least among them was the relationship of science to the military. Readers interested in this important historic transformation will find Jim Baggott's engaging history replete with drama and insight.’ Martin J. Sherwin, co-author of American Prometheus, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography
--------------
Jim Baggott is an award-winning science writer whose previous books include A Beginner's Guide to Reality (Penguin, 2005) and Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy and the Meaning of Quantum Theory (OUP, 2004).
See more books by: Jim Baggott
--------------
Other editions / related titles:
Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939-49 (PAPERBACK)
