--- product_id: 54466626 title: "The Making Of The Atomic Bomb" price: "£18.95" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/54466626-the-making-of-the-atomic-bomb store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # The Making Of The Atomic Bomb **Price:** £18.95 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Making Of The Atomic Bomb - **How much does it cost?** £18.95 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/54466626-the-making-of-the-atomic-bomb) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The definitive account of the atomic bomb's development, from initial discussions to the Trinity test, chronicling pioneering scientists' pivotal work. Review: Monumental Work - It would have been easy for RIchard Rhodes to write an easygoing, mass-market, 300-page history of the Atomic Bomb. Starting with the Manhattan Project, glossing over the science and skipping ahead to the tests and then dropping the two bombs on Japan, it would be a quick read and a popular book. Rhodes doesn't do that, and his readers are much better off for it. In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, instead, he provides a detailed account of the different threads that led to the creation of the bomb. He talks about the scientists who created the bomb and their journeys from (largely) central and eastern Europe to (eventually) Los Alamos in the United States. Anti-semitism, Nazism, and War drove them westwards, while their own curiosity and the global, cooperative Republic of knowledge gives them the tools to make the bomb. Rhodes is both detailed and accessible with the science. He trusts the reader to understand what's going on, and he does a good job of helping the reader to navigate the neutrons and the alpha particles and work their way to a place where the difference between U238 and U235 feels easy and natural. The politics is very much the third narrative, given less prominence than the science or the scientists, but nonetheless Rhodes gives it all due attention. The major players, Roosevelt and Churchill especially, and the various go betweens that connected their governments with the scientists, are all present in the narrative. The Second World War itself is obviously vital, and Rhodes returns to it periodically to aid understanding of the urgency and priorities driving the project. On the bomb's eventual use, he allows witness testimony to do most of the talking. The accounts from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are horrifying, and the statistics on the number of dead and injured are unfathomable. Rhodes covers the debate among the scientists about how the post-Atomic world of weaponry should be managed (international control, treaties etc) and suggests, perhaps optimistically, that the Cold War standoff might have been avoided if information had been shared more openly at an earlier stage. In any case, the reader cannot help but be fascinated and informed by this monumental work. Highly recommended. Review: From Science to Destruction: A Riveting Review of "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" - "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is an incredible book that covers everything from the science behind the bombs creation to the political decisions that led to its use. Rhodes does an amazing job of making complex scientific concepts accessible to non-experts and his ability to weave together a gripping narrative that deludes into science, politics and personal stories behind one of the most significant events of the 20th century is truly impressive. Overall, this book is a must - read for anyone interested in the history of science and technology, and the impact of human decision-making on global events. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 1471111237 | | Best Sellers Rank | 37,934 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 19 in Engineering Physics 75 in Military & Naval Technology 203 in Popular Science Physics | | Customer reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (3,890) | | Dimensions | 15.1 x 5.6 x 23.2 cm | | Edition | Reissue | | ISBN-10 | 9781471111235 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1471111235 | | Item weight | 996 g | | Language | English | | Print length | 896 pages | | Publication date | 5 July 2012 | | Publisher | Simon & Schuster UK | ## Images ![The Making Of The Atomic Bomb - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71v0EyO00XL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Monumental Work *by R***F on 31 December 2022* It would have been easy for RIchard Rhodes to write an easygoing, mass-market, 300-page history of the Atomic Bomb. Starting with the Manhattan Project, glossing over the science and skipping ahead to the tests and then dropping the two bombs on Japan, it would be a quick read and a popular book. Rhodes doesn't do that, and his readers are much better off for it. In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, instead, he provides a detailed account of the different threads that led to the creation of the bomb. He talks about the scientists who created the bomb and their journeys from (largely) central and eastern Europe to (eventually) Los Alamos in the United States. Anti-semitism, Nazism, and War drove them westwards, while their own curiosity and the global, cooperative Republic of knowledge gives them the tools to make the bomb. Rhodes is both detailed and accessible with the science. He trusts the reader to understand what's going on, and he does a good job of helping the reader to navigate the neutrons and the alpha particles and work their way to a place where the difference between U238 and U235 feels easy and natural. The politics is very much the third narrative, given less prominence than the science or the scientists, but nonetheless Rhodes gives it all due attention. The major players, Roosevelt and Churchill especially, and the various go betweens that connected their governments with the scientists, are all present in the narrative. The Second World War itself is obviously vital, and Rhodes returns to it periodically to aid understanding of the urgency and priorities driving the project. On the bomb's eventual use, he allows witness testimony to do most of the talking. The accounts from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are horrifying, and the statistics on the number of dead and injured are unfathomable. Rhodes covers the debate among the scientists about how the post-Atomic world of weaponry should be managed (international control, treaties etc) and suggests, perhaps optimistically, that the Cold War standoff might have been avoided if information had been shared more openly at an earlier stage. In any case, the reader cannot help but be fascinated and informed by this monumental work. Highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From Science to Destruction: A Riveting Review of "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" *by K***D on 14 March 2023* "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is an incredible book that covers everything from the science behind the bombs creation to the political decisions that led to its use. Rhodes does an amazing job of making complex scientific concepts accessible to non-experts and his ability to weave together a gripping narrative that deludes into science, politics and personal stories behind one of the most significant events of the 20th century is truly impressive. Overall, this book is a must - read for anyone interested in the history of science and technology, and the impact of human decision-making on global events. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ More here than the title suggests *by M***S on 8 May 2014* The title of Richard Rhodes' excellent book really does not do justice to the full scope of this work. Here we have a history of nuclear physics beginning back in the 19th Century. One may say that Mr. Rhodes is simply laying the foundations for the main story, but they are pretty extensive and robust foundations for all that. His construction will not crumble any time soon, nor is it likely to be demolished for something more solid. Not only do we get the nuclear physics background but also a very creditable and concise account of the social and political environment in the decades leading up to the Second World War - completely relevant of course because it was so important in the formation of the lead characters in this fascinating story as well as creating the impetus to develop the Bomb during the war years themselves. If I have any gripe at all with this book it is that the main narrative - the rapidly developing nuclear physics - was so enthralling that the frequent digression into biography as the key players came into view had me champing at the bit in frustration and, yes I am ashamed to admit, occasionally had me skipping ahead. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Making Of The Atomic Bomb - American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer - Now It Can Be Told: The Story Of The Manhattan Project (Quality Paperbacks Series) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/54466626-the-making-of-the-atomic-bomb](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/54466626-the-making-of-the-atomic-bomb) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-07*