1975
First Published
4.02
Average Rating
339
Number of Pages
Continuously in demand since its first, prize-winning edition was published in 1975, this is the classic history of the development of the American atomic bomb, the decision to use it against Japan, and the origins of U.S. atomic diplomacy toward the Soviet Union. In his Preface to this new edition, the author describes and evaluates the lengthening trail of new evidence that has come to light concerning these often emotionally debated subjects. The author also invokes his experience as a historical advisor to the controversial, aborted 1995 Enola Gay exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. This leads him to analyze the impact on American democracy of one of the most insidious of the legacies of the political control of historical interpretation. Reviews of Previous Editions "The quality of Sherwin's research and the strength of his argument are far superior to previous accounts." ― New York Times Book Review "Probably the definitive account for a long time to come... Sherwin has tackled some of the critical questions of the Cold War's origins―and has settled them, in my opinion." ―Walter LaFeber, Cornell University "One of those rare achievements of conscientious scholarship, a book at once graceful and luminous, yet loyal to its documentation and restrained in its speculations." ― Boston Globe
Avg Rating
4.02
Number of Ratings
124
5 STARS
31%
4 STARS
42%
3 STARS
25%
2 STARS
1%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Martin J. Sherwin
Author · 3 books
Martin J. Sherwin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian whose scholarship focused on the history of the development of atomic energy and nuclear proliferation. Sherwin received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the long-time Walter S. Dickson professor of English and American history at Tufts University until his assumption of emeritus status in May 2007. He was also a University Professor at George Mason University. He received numerous awards and grants besides those listed here. He and co-author Kai Bird shared the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2006, for their book entitled American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
