Selected Bibliography
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
by Richard Rhodes
Richard Rhodes takes us on that journey step by step, minute by minute, and gives us the definitive story of man’s most awesome discovery and invention. This book was awarded the 1988 Pulitzer Prize.
Racing for the Bomb: General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project’s Indispensable Man
by Robert S. Norris
Racing for the Bomb tells the gripping story of how Groves - more than any single scientist - was crucial to the Manhattan Project’s success. Robert Norris portrays Groves at center stage making nearly every key decision to build, test, and use the bomb.
The Los Alamos Primer: The First Lectures on How to Build an Atomic Bomb
by Robert Serber
These lectures were given to newly arriving scientist working the Manhattan Project in 1943. Working with Richard Rhodes, Professor Serber has annotated his original lecture notes with explanations of the physics terms for the nonspecialist.
Manhattan Project : The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb
by Stephane Groueff
A non-technical narrative of the actual making of the first atomic bomb with an accent on the personal cases of the participants and the industrial companies that built it. Rich of human stories and anecdotes.
Now it Can Be Told: the Story of the Manhattan Project
by Leslie R. Groves
This is an autobiographical account by the military head of the Manhattan Project, Leslie Groves. Groves describes his leadership of the Manhattan Project from its beginnings in 1942 to the early postwar period when the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) assumed responsibility for nuclear weapons and programs.
Brighter than a Thousand Suns
by Robert Junck
This book is a chronological account of the scientific research and the social climate that led to the creation of the first atomic bomb, and what happened in the few years after two were dropped on Japan.
The Day the Sun Rose Twice: The Story of the Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, July 16, 1945
by Ferenc Morton Szasz
This book presents the fascinating story of the events leading up to the first atomic bomb test explosion, the characters and roles of the people involved, and the aftermath, both political and physical, of the bomb
Their Day in the Sun: Women of the Manhattan Project
by Ruth Howes, Caroline Herzenberg
The Manhattan Project also included women in every capacity. During World War II the manpower shortages opened the laboratory doors to women and they embraced the opportunity to demonstrate that they, too, could do "creative science." Although women participated in all aspects of the Manhattan Project, their contributions are either omitted or only mentioned briefly in most histories of the project.
British Scientists and the Manhattan Project : The Los Alamos Years
by Ferenc Morton Szasz
Tells the story of the British scientists who traveled to Los Alamos, New Mexico, and contributed to the development of the atomic bomb. Also recounts their profound influence on the postwar nuclear programs of the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.
The Manhattan Project: Introduction to the Atomic Age
by Michael B. Stoff
The authors provide students with a documentary case study of a critical episode in modern American history. The authors allow students to learn history by doing history--or at least by asking them to read and analyze the most original sources that could be assembled.
The American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present
by Philip L. Cantelon, Richard G. Hewett, Robert C. Williams
An extensive collection of primary documents that tells the story of atomic energy in the United States from the discovery of fission, through the development of nuclear weapons, to the Cold War, and attempts at control of nuclear weapons.
Picturing the Bomb: Photographs from the Secret World of the Manhattan Project
by Rachel Fermi
This visually compelling collection of private and official photos found in family albums and laboratory archives offers a closer look at the Manhattan Project.