Manhattan Project - by Bruce Cameron Reed

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

The Manhattan Project, the United States Army's program to develop and deploy nuclear weapons in World War II, was a pivotal event in human history. While thousands of articles and books have been published on various aspects of the Project, this is the first comprehensive single-volume history prepared by a specialist for curious readers without a scientific background.

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 gives qualitative but accurate descriptions of the underlying science and the engineering challenges. The technical points are illustrated by reader-friendly graphics.

Review Quotes

"The book is written in a clear and powerful language, and it involves a reader as a catching detective novel. Multiple memoirs and archives are cited, plenty of rare historical pictures and illustrations are shown. The book presents a fascinating history of science and technology, management and politics, giving to readers a view and feeling of participation in one of the most pivotal undertakings in human history which is a big part of our contemporary world." (Stan Lipovetsky, Technometrics, Vol. 64 (2), 2022)

About the Author

Bruce Cameron Reed is the Charles A. Dana professor of Physics at Alma College (Michigan), emeritus. He has published four textbooks and over 50 journal papers and semi-popular articles on the Manhattan Project; two of the texts are with Springer. In 2009 he was selected as Fellow of the American Physical Society in recognition of his contributions to promoting understanding of the history and physics of the Project.