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Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians Paperback – February 10, 2009

by Cynthia C. Kelly (Editor), Richard Rhodes (Introduction)

281 ratings

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The definitive collection of writings on the Manhattan Project by the pre-eminent scientists, historians, and the everyday observers who bore witness to the birth of the modern nuclear age.

Begun in 1939, the Manhattan Project eventually employed more than 130,000 people, including our foremost scientists and thinkers, and cost nearly $2 billion, while operating under a shroud of absolute secrecy. This groundbreaking collection of documents, essays, articles, and excerpts from histories, biographies, plays, novels, letters, and the oral histories of key eyewitnesses provides unique perspectives for the historian and student of history all compiled by experts at the Atomic Heritage Foundation. Photographs throughout depict key moments and pivotal figures. The Manhattan Project gives actual voice to a significant period in history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's both a wonderful service to history and a fascinating book to read."―Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Einstein

"A wonderful addition to the literature on the development of the atomic bomb....This rich anthology...enhances our knowledge of the formative years of the nuclear era and underscores the perils we still face."―Kai Bird, co-author, American Prometheus

"The definitive anthology on the Manhattan Project."―Gregg Herken, author of The Brotherhood of the Bomb

About the Author

Cynthia C. Kelly is the president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the editor of several books on the subject including Remembering the Manhattan Project.

Richard Rhodes is the author of twenty-six books, including The Making of the Atomic Bomb, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Dog & Leventhal
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 10, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1579128084
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1579128081
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.38 x 9 inches

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Customers find this book instructive and well-compiled, with lots of personal insights and compelling detail about the Manhattan Project. They appreciate the human content, with one review noting how well the author matches personalities with scientific accomplishments. The book receives positive feedback for its historical account, with one customer describing it as an amazing historical account. While some customers find it easy to read and understand, others mention it's not an easy book to read. The story quality receives mixed reviews, with some finding it a little disjointed.

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Readability Information quality History Human content Compilation quality Collection Pacing Story quality

74 customers mention "Readability"74 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very interesting and instructive, describing it as a great companion read.

"...on the atomic bomb and its development, and most of them were very interesting, and I almost hate to admit it, amusing...." Read more

"...This is a comprehensive work, one that i am glad to have finally read." Read more

"The first half of the book was exceptionally well written, informative and eye opening considering the nature of the heretofore unknown world of..." Read more

"...It's a great book. Give it your time!" Read more

33 customers mention "Information quality"30 positive3 negative

Customers praise the book's information quality, noting it is chock full of personal insights and compelling detail, with one customer highlighting how it provides a clear telling of the events.

"Includes personal recollections of Manhattan Project scientists, spouses, and their children, as well as others involved in the Manhattan..." Read more

"...Personalities are revealed, tension is expressed due to the urgency of the effort and the underlying secrecy that surrounded this effort bring new..." Read more

"...a Manhattan Project buff, as I am, you'll be fascinated by the personal glimpses into the lives of military and civilian participants, their spouses..." Read more

"...flavor -- it's not just one person's view; it's the differing views of theoretical physicists, practical engineers, goal-oriented military officers,..." Read more

20 customers mention "History"20 positive0 negative

Customers praise this book's historical account of the Manhattan Project, with one customer highlighting its diverse collection of perspectives.

"...* There is an excellent selection and variety of story tellers, This may be the only book that includes the writings of Nobel Prize winners,..." Read more

"...Project uses a lot of original documents, which always makes history interesting." Read more

"...On the plus side, the presence of dozens of points of view give the work a more engaging, wholistic flavor -- it's not just one person's view; it's..." Read more

"...Once passed that, I found the stories informative; especially the more personal observations about the main players...." Read more

10 customers mention "Human content"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the human content of the book, with one review highlighting how the author effectively matches personalities with scientific accomplishments, while another notes how it provides insight into individuals involved in the bomb-making effort.

"...'s view; it's the differing views of theoretical physicists, practical engineers, goal-oriented military officers, and decision-making presidents...." Read more

"...(some redundant) that make the Manhattan Project feel contemporary and human...." Read more

"...You will find both the great well known characters writings and also those of the day to day workers, guards, militlary, and maintenance personnel." Read more

"...development of the World's First Atomic Bombs, but also of the amazing Scientists who created them...." Read more

8 customers mention "Compilation quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's compilation quality, with several noting it is well put together, and one customer highlighting its skillful use of original source materials.

"...But this book about the Manhattan Project uses a lot of original documents, which always makes history interesting." Read more

"This book is a mixture of exceprts from other books and less well-known sources...." Read more

"...and letters were well organized (roughly chronologically) and put together very nicely. The only complaint I had was the last portion on the book...." Read more

"...Through skillful use of original source materials the author/editor gives a view of the Manhattan Project that allows us to see the development of..." Read more

6 customers mention "Collection"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's collection of personal accounts, with one customer describing it as a wonderful compendium and another noting its broad selection of sources.

"...---THE GOOD POINTS * There is an excellent selection and variety of story tellers, This may be the only book that includes the writings..." Read more

"The Manhattan Project is a wonderful compendium of personal accounts and anecdotes not readily available otherwise...." Read more

"...short extracts, mostly one or two pages in length, from a very broad selection of sources, on a wide variety of aspects of the Manhattan Project...." Read more

"...Rather it is a compendium of rememberances, thoughts, actions and attitudes of a number of the many, many participants in the project some of whom..." Read more

35 customers mention "Pacing"23 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's pacing, with some finding it exceptionally well written and easy to read and understand, while others find it not an easy book to read.

"The first half of the book was exceptionally well written, informative and eye opening considering the nature of the heretofore unknown world of..." Read more

"...This is not a hard or boring read. I would recommend it for anyone with a curiosity about the subject." Read more

"...edged accounts of US servicemen and bomb observers, these accounts come across as pompous, bloated, overly complicated opinions by people who are..." Read more

"...all these letters, reports, and news articles together to make a very readable book has done me a service...." Read more

7 customers mention "Story quality"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality of the book, with some finding it disjointed, while one customer describes it as a thriller and another notes how it fills in gaps in the narrative.

"...are familiar with the History of the Manhattan Project, the book reads like a thriller...." Read more

"...On the minus side, it's disjointed, and the book often jump-cuts from one scene to the next...." Read more

"The story of the first atomic bomb is a human drama without equal...." Read more

"This a a good book but a little disjointed...." Read more

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DW
Dedicated people can do anything with the enough motivation
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2016
Verified Purchase

The WW2 generation did everything they could to end the war. My men's book read this book and discussed it. We all liked the book and expressed surprise at how much needed to be invented in a very short time to deliver a working bomb. Growing up in the nuclear age, I didn't think about how much more powerful an A-bomb was over the conventional bombs. Certainly didn't think about how difficult it was to invent a way to deliver the bomb by airplane. Anyone who thinks the USA should not have used the bomb should read this book and also some books describing the two devastating world wars. Luckily we are 70 years from the A-bomb and lived through the cold war without a war on the level of devastation of either of the two world wars.

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2 people found this helpful

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Andy in Washington
80% Awesome, 20% Blah
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2012
Verified Purchase
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I ordered this book. I had previously read some of the personal writings of a few of the major players in the Manhattan Project, and found some of the driest reading on the planet.

This book was a pleasant surprise, and I enjoyed most of it. There were some very different views on the atomic bomb and its development, and most of them were very interesting, and I almost hate to admit it, amusing.

---THE GOOD POINTS

* There is an excellent selection and variety of story tellers, This may be the only book that includes the writings of Nobel Prize winners, senior political leaders, army grunts, follow-along wives, normal civilians just trying to survive, and a few other characters.

* The stories are, for the most part, unvarnished and a bit raw. You can get a feel of the actual emotions behind some of the major players, and of the conflicts that boiled just below (usually) the surface. Of particular interest is the relation between General Groves, in charge of security and the actual operations of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Oppenheimer, in charge of the development. They were probably as different as two people could be, and their relationship should have degenerated into backstabbing and fist fights. Instead they got along pretty well, each complementing -and in some cases feeding- the other's limitations.

* Several of the stories border on the absurd and humerous. One junior scientist tells of his assigned duty to "guard" the first atomic bomb as it sat in its tower the night before the test. Our hero is unarmed, sitting 100 feet in the air on a folding chair, and spends the night wondering if the lighting storm could in any way trigger the 20 kiloton bomb he is sitting next to. Hollywood couldn't write something that crazy.

* The viewpoints of Japanese civilians and leaders are represented. Some of these seem a little self-serving, some will make you feel sick.

* The thoughts of American servicemen who missed out on the opportunity for a high-casualty invasion of Japan are quite enlightening.

---THE NOT SO GOOD POINTS---

* Some of the material could have been skipped. I had no time for excerpts from fictionalized stories based on the events at Los Alamos. Who knows what part of them are fact and fiction....and why bother. There is no shortage of non-fiction memoirs.

* The last two sections of the book are devoted to the reactions after the bomb was dropped, and the history of atomic weapons after 1945. Most of these writings are from senior politicians and political commentators of one sort or another. Coming after the sharp-edged accounts of US servicemen and bomb observers, these accounts come across as pompous, bloated, overly complicated opinions by people who are very impressed with themselves. General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer would have fired all of them in a nanosecond.

* I have read quite a bit of material on this subject, so I am not a good judge of how well this book would be received by anyone unfamiliar with the subject. I suspect some of the stories are rimeless and will resonate with anyone, while others require at least a passing knowledge of the Manhattan Project and its technology to be appreciated. Much of the material is presented with limited preamble or explanation.

---SUMMARY---

I enjoyed the book, and was glad I read it. Most of the tales are interesting, well-written, and captivating. A small percentage seemed overly bloated and wordy, and I would have just as soon skipped over them.

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17 people found this helpful

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EEE
Summary of other sources, but a good one
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
Includes personal recollections of Manhattan Project scientists, spouses, and their children, as well as others involved in the Manhattan Engineering District, including Oak Ridge and Hanford. It doesn't jus tell the funny or happy kinds of stories, pulls no punches in describing the trials faced by women and African American project staff. There is a long section regarding the ethics and necessity of having used the bombs. This is a comprehensive work, one that i am glad to have finally read.

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J.J. Kielty
The Manhatten Project
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
The first half of the book was exceptionally well written, informative and eye opening considering the nature of the heretofore unknown world of atomic energy. I was truly taken back by the emerging realization that no one really knew what the outcome would be when we first caused a nuclear pile to go critical. Would it, as some prominent scientist surmised, ignite the atmosphere in a total global halocaust or would Trinity Site become an international fizzle. No one actually knew. I was not overly impressed with the second half compilation of letters, transcripts and speech notes submitted prior to, during and after the Manhatten Project itself. They were redundant and for the most rather mundane and even boring. Stick with the excitement of the narrative about the project itself and close the book when it enters the world of letters and notes.

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3 people found this helpful

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Mari Lugh Ross
Readable, Informative and Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book takes you from the aha moment of realization that an atom can be split to the post-atomic era and the fears that now surround all of humanity. It is all written in the words of those who were hands-on in the search for nuclear fission capability as well as the experiences of those who built the infrastructure and process facilities for nuclear weapons.
As a child born in the 1950s who has always lived under the shadow of nuclear annihilation, this book brings clarity to every question about why, how and what-if that has surrounded this supernatural science.
Personalities are revealed, tension is expressed due to the urgency of the effort and the underlying secrecy that surrounded this effort bring new questions into your mind. It's a great book. Give it your time!

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B James
A "Must Have" for Manhattan Project Buffs
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2007
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The Manhattan Project is a wonderful compendium of personal accounts and anecdotes not readily available otherwise. The accounts come from people in all walks of Manhattan Project life. If you are a Manhattan Project buff, as I am, you'll be fascinated by the personal glimpses into the lives of military and civilian participants, their spouses and friends--and not just the famous scientists and military leaders. I have only one caveat: if your interest in the Manhattan Project is new, or you are not already familiar with the historical and scientific details of the Project, this book is not a good place to start--read Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." This book is a collage of little insights into the personal lives of the Project's participants; it is not a detailed, chronological military or scientific history. However, for those steeped in the Manhattan Project, it is a treasure.

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93 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

M. Chapman
Interesting book, made up of lots of snippets from different authors.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2013
Verified Purchase

This is not what I expected when I purchased the book, but it is an interesting read. Each section is made up from snippets information from different authors, giving their perspective on a topic. For instance, there are a number of people who give their thoughts on the the personality of Oppenheimer, and Groves, and how these very different characters managed to work together so effectively. I really enjoyed the book.

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Urubambajohnny
Extremely disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Unfortunately I was expecting a reasonably scientific treatment of this subject, which inevitably has a tremendous technical aspect. The book summary on Amazon's page quotes "This authoritative book provides a complete and vivid history of the project and its legacy". Well, it really does not. It is a very long collection of vaguely interesting and unrelated trivial items, with no real thread. I'm now going to try the Richard Rhodes version, having wasted a lot of time with this waffley book.

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Fred Gray
Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very poor book. You have to know about The Manhattan Project to understand the book contents. It's more like a recvie wof other books!
Poor.

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Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians Paperback – February 10, 2009

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5.0 out of 5 stars Dedicated people can do anything with the enough motivation

4.0 out of 5 stars 80% Awesome, 20% Blah

5.0 out of 5 stars Summary of other sources, but a good one

3.0 out of 5 stars The Manhatten Project

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, Informative and Fascinating

4.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" for Manhattan Project Buffs

Top reviews from other countries

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book, made up of lots of snippets from different authors.

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely disappointing

1.0 out of 5 stars Review

Dedicated people can do anything with the enough motivation

80% Awesome, 20% Blah

Summary of other sources, but a good one

The Manhatten Project

Readable, Informative and Fascinating

A "Must Have" for Manhattan Project Buffs

Interesting book, made up of lots of snippets from different authors.

Extremely disappointing

Review