Weve compiled a diverse list of some of the best books about nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons must survive extremely complex and often harsh environments. The project, which according to the washington post is one of the most widely sourced agencies for nuclear warhead counts, uses open sources such as official. The 1977 third edition the most recent version of this publication was scanned by the program in science and global security of the woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs at princeton university into a collection of bitmap pdf files which were linked to a web page. Nuclear weapon journalsomics internationaljournalsjournal. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter.
Jun 14, 1985 the largest accumulation of nuclear weapons, says the book published by the institute of policy studies here, are in south carolina, where submarines armed with ballistic missiles are based, and. The book is not a history of nuclear weapons development, not a history of nuclear strategy nor of the political issues attached to nuclear weapons although clearly the book does provide much back ground on these comments. The nuclear taboo by nina tannenwald cambridge core. Nuclear weapons are fundamentally different from conventional weapons because of the vast amounts of explosive energy they can release and the kinds of effects they produce, such as high temperatures and radiation. They are nonfiction books which relate to uranium mining, nuclear weapons andor nuclear power american prometheus. Presidents, generals, and the secret history of nuclear war by fred kaplan, jeff rowe writes that while were fretting about global warming, kaplans book gives. Their significance may best be appreciated by the coining of the words kiloton 1,000 tons and megaton 1,000,000 tons to describe their blast energy in equivalent weights of the conventional chemical explosive tnt. Seuss wrote a book about the threat of nuclear weapons, but it really shouldnt be considering his strong political beliefs throughout his life. With an introduction by sir chris llewellyn smith, this book is a testament to the last 70 years of the. Her thesis that a nuclear taboo has taken hold will be widely read and hotly debated in both university classrooms and inside defense ministries in all nuclear nations. A nuclear weapon, also known as a nuclear bomb or a nuke, is a weapon that suddenly releases the energy in the nucleus of certain types of atoms. List of books and articles about nuclear disarmament online.
List of books and articles about nuclear nonproliferation. They are nonfiction books which relate to uranium mining, nuclear weapons. Nina tannenwald has written a powerful and provocative book examining the influence of ethical norms on u. There are two types of nuclear weaponsfission bombs use fission alone, whereas thermonuclear bombs use fission to ignite fusion. It provides an important contribution to understanding how government.
These highly complex technical challenges require a multidisciplinary approach of systems engineering supported by deep science. Nuclear weapon simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Nuclear weapons and american grand strategy brookings institution. A summary of the human consequences, 19452018, and lessons for homo sapiens to end the nuclear weapon age masao tomonaga pages. Roberts comes to the question of what to do about u. Fred kaplans the bomb explains how the united states plans to fight a nuclear war. From wellloved classics to warnings from the past few years. Tactical nuclear weapons can have the explosive power of a fraction of a kiloton one. Smith nuclear weapons are the most powerful and destructive weapons held in the aresenals of any modern states. For example, the atomic bomb dropped on hiroshima, japan, in 1945, containing only about 64 kg 140 pounds of highly enriched. Fast food nation author will return with book on nuclear.
Written in a clear, accessible, and jargonfree manner, the book also offers insights for. Apr 22, 2020 browse nuclear weapons news, research and analysis from the conversation editions. Extraordinary encounters at nuclear weapons sites, provides a comprehensive summary of their revelations. Nuclear weapons were not necessary to deter a third world war. When triggered, these devices release a huge amount of energy in the form of a nuclear explosion. North korea is still developing nuclear weapons, says iaea. Nuclear weapons can be delivered by artillery, plane, ship, or ballistic missile icbm. Book places nuclear warheads in 26 states the new york times.
The literature of scholarly articles and books on u. Exploding the nuclear weapons hoax paperback april 27, 2017 by akio nakatani author 4. A disquieting look at the history of nuclearwar gaming. The nuclear information project provides the public with reliable information about the status and trends of the nuclear weapons arsenals of the worlds nucleararmed countries. Nuclear weapon journals a nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Beyond that, however, their practical significance has been vastly exaggerated by both critics and supporters. It the bomb consists of a dozen or so nuclear tipped missiles which can be fired simultaneously from an orbiting space platform. My website presents excerpts from it, as well as interviews with veterans whose experiences were only brought to my attention after the book was published in 2008. Mar 02, 2018 nuclear disarmament, the reduction and limitation of the various nuclear weapons in the military forces of the worlds nations. The book is a fiction about the nuclear weapons of france. In his book theres a new world coming 1973, lindsey refers to the fractional orbital bomb, and then goes on to cite nuclear passages in the book of revelation. Both types of weapons produce huge numbers of nuclear reactions in a very short time. The threat of a nuclear war between the us and russia is now at its greatest since 1983 when the commander of nato says he is a fan of flexible first strike at the same time that nato.
Oct 05, 2012 eric schlosser, the journalist and author of the bestselling fast food nation, has taken on the vexing issue of the control of nuclear weapons in a new book to be published by penguin press next year. As it turned out much of the nuclear papers were lost during the turmoil following the pentagon papers release. Since the 1940s, nuclear weapons have greatly affected defense budgets, political and military posturing, and academic theory. Nuclear weapons in the 21st century, covers the nuts and bolts of the nuclear issue. The book alternates between the tragedy at site 3747 and a more or less chronological history of us nuclear weapons safety and command and control. The volume 41 part i compiles the disarmament resolutions and decisions of the seventyfirst session of the general assembly, the voting. Top 10 books on nuclear weapons and arms control foreign policy. The author has clearly done a huge amount of research both into the specifics of what happened at site 3747 and the us nuclear weapons program, including extensive interviews with key individuals. Nuclear weapons in the end times tribulation lamb and. Air force, fbi, and cia files declassified via the freedom of information act establish a convincing, ongoing pattern of ufo activity at american nuclear weapons sites extending back to december. Nuclear weapon the effects of nuclear weapons britannica. Why the arms race doesnt matterand what does berkeley. Browse nuclear weapons news, research and analysis from the conversation editions.
As previously noted by other customers there are some minor typos. Aug 22, 2018 north korea is still developing nuclear weapons, says iaea this article is more than 1 year old. Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs, and fusion weapons are referred to as thermonuclear bombs or, more commonly, hydrogen bombs. Nuclear weapons and american grand strategy helps policymakers wrestle with the latest challenges. Extraparliamentary dissent in france and germany 1981.
These five states are known to have detonated a nuclear explosive before 1 january 1967 and are thus nuclear weapons states under the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. A firsthand witness to the development and science of nuclear weapons, he is in a unique position to. The threat of a nuclear war between the us and russia is now at its greatest since 1983 when the commander of nato says he is a. At the heart of the book lies the struggle, amid the rolling hills and small farms of. Yes, there are a few small indulgences of leftism by the author. The bomb in this books title is the nuclear bomb, a weapon that has become increasingly powerful since relatively crude nuclear devices were dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki to end world war ii. They may remain dormant for decades, yet must be immediately available during high alertreadiness levels. Ufos and nuclear weapons although most people are completely unaware of its existence, the ufonukes connection is now remarkably welldocumented. News about nuclear weapons, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times.
Nuclear weapons books meet your next favorite book. The centers probe, based on contractor and government reports and officials involved in bombrelated work, revealed unpublicized accidents at nuclear weapons facilities, including some that caused avoidable radiation exposures. Nuclear weapons, the damascus accident, and the illusion of safety by eric schlosser, the making o. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Also yes, the book more fully discussed weapons delivery systems as opposed to getting deep into the weeds on the atomic nuclear devices, but i am sure we all can agree most of that information probably goes beyond the scope of security clearance, let alone full.
The nuclear weapons journal ceased publication after issue 2, 2009. Since the creation of the nuclear bomb, many have feared that a nuclear war could lead to the end of life on earth as we currently know it. A discovery by nuclear physicists in a laboratory in berlin, germany, in 1938 made the first atomic bomb possible, after otto hahn, lise meitner and fritz strassman discovered nuclear fission. Nuclear weapon, device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two. University of california press, 1990, by william a. North korea is still developing nuclear weapons, says iaea this article is more than 1 year old. Nuclear explosions can destroy a city and kill most of its people. Nuclear negligence examines safety weaknesses at u. List of books and articles about nuclear proliferation online. The largest accumulation of nuclear weapons, says the book published by the institute of policy studies here, are in south carolina, where submarines armed with.
The prompt effects of a nuclear explosion and fallout are well known through data gathered from the attacks on. Energy yields are measured in kilotons or megatons of equivalent conventional explosives and range from 0. The book, command and control, examines the efforts of the military, since the atomic era began during world war ii, to prevent. The secret papers of the atomic energy commission 1982. Nuclear weapons news, research and analysis the conversation. The book is primarily a book about the safety of nuclear weapons, the command and control system for us nuclear weapons and. The enormous cost of more nuclear weapons truthdig. In a an the world where millions of children and families live in inhumane conditions, a an the money that is squandered and a an the fortunes made through a an the manufacture, upgrading, maintenance and sale of ever more destructive weapons, are a an the affront crying out to. One physicists guide to nuclear weapons book iopscience. Nuclear weapons produce large explosions and hazardous radioactive byproducts by means of either nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. Ever since, countless books, reports, and articlesand even a new field of academic inquiry called security studieshave tried to explain the socalled nuclear. By the late 1960s, nuclear weapon strategists and arms controllers began to lob most of their heavy artillery via journal articles. The atomic bombs dropped 1945 on japan by the united states in world war ii demonstrated the overwhelming destructive potential of nuclear weapons and the threat to humanity posed by the possibility of nuclear war and led to calls for controls on or elimination of.