Free eBooks The Bomb: A New History Available To Downloads
“Younger has provided an insightful guide, especially for the general reader, into today’s array of nuclear powers and their capabilities.”—James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy, former Director of Central IntelligenceIn The Bomb, Stephen Younger, former Los Alamos weapons designer and author of Endangered Species, provides a new history of the making of nuclear policy and the creation of the most terrible weapons humankind has ever possessed. In an era when rogue nations like North Korean and Iran strive to create their own precarious weapons programs, Younger’s The Bomb provides much-needed background and insight for students, policy makers, and readers who wish to better understand the important issues involving nuclear weapons and national security.
File Size: 1789 KB
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 6, 2009)
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English
ASIN: B001NLKYII
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #880,725 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #92 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Arms Control #168 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Nuclear #318 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Modern (16th-21st Centuries) > 21st Century
Stephen Younger's book on the bomb is a very good primer on nuclear weapons, but somewhat limited by its length. Mr. Younger who is a veteran weapons designer and defense official begins with a succinct history of nuclear weapons and then goes on to review the major weapons and delivery systems in the United States and other countries. He talks about the deterrence triad in the United States; bombers, ballistic missiles and especially submarine-based nuclear missiles that can pack the biggest punch most efficiently. Also included are short discussions of developing and already developed arsenals in other countries including Russia, China, Southeast Asia, France and Britain. Younger writes about the modern weaponization of Russia which is in progress and discusses the status of development in other countries. The discussion also includes a general overview of nuclear weapons effects including thermal, blast, radiation and electromagnetic effects and a chapter on `soft' and `hard' targets and their targeting. Younger contends that a weapon of about 10kT yield would be sufficient to destroy or seriously damage most major cities and installations in the world, except extremely hardened underground facilities. Compare this with the W series of warheads in the US arsenal, many of which pack an explosive force equivalent to several hundred kilotons of TNT.Younger also discusses nuclear proliferation and the problems inherent in terrorists constructing a bomb.
I feel ambivalent about this book. First, the good points.In a concise 220 pages (and a complete index), Younger, an eminently qualified commentator on issues of nuclear weapons, presents a somewhat technical overview and historical summary of nuclear warfare. He makes many salient points.For instance, this is one of the few nuclear histories that notes that Kennedy's "victory" over Khruschev in the Cuban crisis was actually a deal to trade the Cuban-deployed missiles for US Jupiter missiles in Turkey targetted on the USSR. In the popular American imagination (perpetuated by Kennedy after the fact), the self-congratulatory conclusion is that Kennedy forced Khruschev to unilaterally withdraw. Likewise, that Khruschev's installation of the Cuban missiles in the first place was a unilateral provocation. I was glad to see Younger correct these two misconceptions. (I recommend the 4-page summary of the Missile Crisis presented by Niall Ferguson in the epilogue to The War of the World which verifies this interpretation, and adds a few juicy details besides.)Younger addresses a broad spectrum of nuclear issues including delivery vehicles, missile defense, arms control, the nuclear laboratories (in which he was a principal), testing, stockpile stewardship, and nuclear international politics.Unfortunately, the book is excessively concise for its subject area. Its breadth of coverage is the book's Achilles Heel. Younger takes space to present only the barest of detail, and these topics are far too complex and important to be adequately addressed in the space available.
The Bomb: A New History Building the H Bomb: A Personal History History: Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times (World History, History Books, People History) (History in 50 Events Series Book 1) History: British History in 50 Events: From First Immigration to Modern Empire (English History, History Books, British History Textbook) (History in 50 Events Series Book 11) ATOMIC WAR! SOVIET AGGRESSION - AMERICAN RESPONSE: 4 CLASSIC COLD WAR COMIC BOOKS FROM THE 1950s plus 3 NUCLEAR BOMB GOVERNMENT PAMPHLETS Bath Bombs: 47 Magnificent Organic Non-Toxic Bath Bomb Recipes For Stress Relief, Detoxification, Dry Skin And Longevity! (Bath Bombs, Stress Relief, Bath Bombs Recipes) DIY Bath Bombs Made Easy: 40 Organic DIY Bath Bomb Recipes for Fragrant Skin And A Rejuvenating Bath Experience Ketogenic Diet: Fat Bombs 100 Irresistible Sweet & Savory Snacks (Ketogenic Diet Fat Bomb, Fat Bombs Recipes, Low Carb Desserts) Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: AWARD WINNING Low Carb Recipes for Health and Weight Loss with the Keto Diet (tasty weight loss ketogenic cookbook with fat bomb ketogenic desserts) BATH BOMBS: 32 Organic Homemade Bath Bomb Recipes to Relieve Stress & Have Better Health, Beginners Guide Low Carb Diet Book Collection: 90 Amazing Recipes - Low Carb Casseroles, Low Carb Soups, Low Carb Fat Bombs and Low Carb Ice Cream: (Fat Bomb Recipes, ... healthy eating recipes, ketogenic desserts) KETOGENIC DIET: FAT BOMB RECIPES: Low Carb, High Fat, Vegan and Gluten Free Fat Bombs (FATBOMB COOKBOOK 1) The Making of the Atomic Bomb The Making of the Atomic Bomb (text only) by R. Rhodes Fallout: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, and The Political Science Of The Atomic Bomb Cancer Time Bomb: How the BRCA Gene Stole My Tits and Eggs BOMB Caribbean Time Bomb: The United States' Complicity in the Corruption of Antigua Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy, and the Bomb Raid on the Sun: Inside Israel's Secret Campaign that Denied Saddam the Bomb
