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Destroyer of Worlds

By Frank Close

Product Image: Destroyer of Worlds

Destroyer of Worlds

By Frank Close

Only 1 item left in stock
Description
Henry Becquerel's accidental discovery, in Paris in 1896, of a faint smudge on a photographic plate sparked a chain of discoveries which would unleash the atomic age. Destroyer of Worlds is the story of how pursuit of this hidden source of nuclear power, which began innocently and collaboratively, was overwhelmed by the politics of the 1930s, and following devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki opened the way to a still more terrible possibility: a thermonuclear bomb, the so-called "backyard weapon", that could destroy all life on earth - from anywhere. The story spans decades and continents, moving from Becquerel to Ernest Rutherford, the Cambridge-based, New Zealand scientist who first split the atom, expands to include Enrico Fermi in Rome, Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner in Berlin and the Joliot-Curies in Paris, leading to the appearance of Robert Oppenheimer before climaxing with increasingly horrifying developments in the USA and USSR. The roles of three remarkable women - Lise Meitner, Ida Noddack and Irene Curie - are re-evaluated, and there are new insights into the work of Ettore Majorana, Fermi's mercurial but brilliant assistant, who mysteriously disappeared in 1938, possibly after foreseeing the explosive power of nuclear energy. Above all, this is a story of how knowledge is often advanced by personal convictions and relationships, an indeed by chance, in a remarkable way.
Product details
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
336
Release Date:
2025-06-10
Publication Date:
2025-06-10
Publisher:
Penguin Books Ltd
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
0241700868
ISBN13:
9780241700860
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
572 g
Height:
164 cm
Width:
237 cm
Thickness:
35 cm
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The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.
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