An edition of American Prometheus (2005)

American Prometheus

the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

1st ed.

by and

  • ★★★★ 4.00 ·
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Cover of: American Prometheus by Kai Bird
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  • ★★★★ 4.00 ·
  • 8 Ratings
  • 252 Want to read
  • 13 Currently reading
  • 19 Have read
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Last edited by Tom Morris
August 21, 2023 | History
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An edition of American Prometheus (2005)

American Prometheus

the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

1st ed.

by and

  • ★★★★ 4.00 ·
  • 8 Ratings
  • 252 Want to read
  • 13 Currently reading
  • 19 Have read

The first full-scale biography of the "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the fire of the sun for his country in time of war. After Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his generation--an icon of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific progress. He created a radical proposal to place international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb and criticized the Air Force's plans to fight a nuclear war. In the hysteria of the early 1950s, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup, and people such as Edward Teller and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover worked behind the scenes to obtain a finding that he could not be trusted with America's nuclear secrets. This book is both biography and history, significant to our understanding of our recent past--and of our choices for the future.

Publish Date
Publisher
A.A. Knopf
Language
English
Pages
721

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Previews available in: English

Subjects
physics, Manhatten Project, atomic bomb, nuclear physics, biography, history, pulitzer prize, Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, Oppenheimer, j. robert, 1904-1967, Physicists, biography, Atomic bomb, Science, history, united states, United states, history, 20th century, Physicists, Biography, History, Science, Political aspects, Manhattanproject, nyt:paperback-nonfiction=2023-07-16, New York Times bestseller
People
Robert J. Oppenheimer, J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), Julius Robert Oppenheimer
Places
New Mexico, Los Alamos, Göttingen, Cambridge, California, United States
Times
20th century

Showing 4 featured editions. View all 18 editions?

Edition Availability
Cover of: American Prometheus
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
2008, Atlantic Books
Hardcover
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: American Prometheus
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
April 11, 2006, Vintage
in English
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: American Prometheus
American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
2005, A.A. Knopf
in English - 1st ed.
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: American Prometheus
American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
2005, A.A. Knopf
in English - 1st ed.
Libraries near you: WorldCat

Add another edition?

Book Details

Published in

New York

Table of Contents

I: "He received every new idea as perfectly beautiful"
"His separate prison"
"I am having a pretty bad time"
"I find the work hard, thank God, & almost pleasant"
"I am Oppenheimer"
"Oppie"
"The nim nim boys"
II: "In 1936 my interests began to change"
"[Frank] clipped it out and sent it in"
"More and more surely"
"I'm going to marry a friend of yours, Steve"
"We were pulling the new deal to the left"
"The coordinator of rapid rupture"
"The Chevalier affair"
III: "He'd become very patriotic"
"Too much secrecy"
"Oppenheimer is telling the truth ..."
"Suicide, motive unknown"
"Would you like to adopt her? ''
"Bohr was God, and Oppie was his prophet"
"The impact of the gadget on civilization"
"Now we're all sons-of-bitches"
IV: "Those poor little people"
"I feel I have blood on my hands"
"People could destroy New York"
"Oppie had a rash and is now immune"
"An intellectual hotel"
"He couldn't understand why he did it"
"I am sure that is why she threw things at him"
"He never let on what his opinion was"
"Dark words about Oppie"
"Scientist X"
"The beast in the jungle"
V: "It looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"
"I fear that this whole thing is a piece of idiocy"
"A manifestation of hysteria"
"A black mark on the Escutcheon of our country"
"I can still feel the warm blood on my hands"
"It was really like a never-never-land"
"It should have been done the day after trinity"
Epilogue: "There's only one Robert."

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (p. [685]-699) and index.

Other Titles
Triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
530/.092, B
Library of Congress
QC16.O62 B57 2005, QC16.O62B57 2005

The Physical Object

Pagination
xiii, 721 p. :
Number of pages
721

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL24712928M
Internet Archive
americanpromethe00bird
ISBN 10
0375412026
ISBN 13
9780375412028
LCCN
2004061535
OCLC/WorldCat
56753298
Wikidata
Q116182036

Work Description

Biography of American physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer. Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.

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Enjoyability 1 Neutral 50% Exciting 50% Clarity 1 Effective explanations 33% Well organized 33% Clearly written 33% Breadth 1 Focused 33% Not comprehensive 33% Shallow 33%

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August 21, 2023 Edited by Tom Morris Merge works
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