Product Description

First published in 1984, this prize-winning history of the Manhattan Project is now available in paperback for the first time, fifty years after the explosion of the first atomic bomb.

"This tightly focused, lucidly written and thoroughly researched book. . . describes the events, personalities and scientific processes that led to the detonation of the first atomic bomb in an isolated stretch of New Mexican desert. . . . Mr. Szasz provides fascinating details. . . . The Day the Sun Rose Twice is concise and cogent, a valuable introduction to how our nuclear dilemma began."—New York Times Book Review

"May be the definitive account of the days and hours leading up to the first nuclear explosion in history and the legacy it left. He vividly reconstructs the story: the industrious atmosphere of the scientists and technicians; the grave considerations of those making key decisions; the sense of wonder, and twinges of conscience, at what had been achieved."—Los Angeles Times

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #548008 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

About the Author
Ferenc M. Szasz is professor of U.S. intellectual history and U.S. history of religion, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. He is the author or editor of several books on New Mexico history.

Customer Reviews

The Blast that changed the world...
In The Day The Sun Rose Twice, Ferenc Morton Szasz recounts the story of the Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion that occurred on July 16, 1945. The author does an excellent job tracing critical details leading up to this historical process, thus changing American history and in effect, changing the world around us.

The book is broken down into nine chapters beginning with the origins of Los Alamos. However, Szasz begins by discussing the conceptual revolutions of human knowledge during the late nineteenth-early twentieth century.

The illustrations included in the book give the reader incredible insight into the actual events. "The ball of fire," a photograph taken of the nuclear explosion in New Mexico gives the reader a visual effect of the actual event. Photographs of the people offer the reader a little more insight into those involved with the project. The map shows the reader how much of the state of New Mexico was consumed for this project.

Overall, I found the book to be easy to read, although
I knew very little about the subject matter. I did, however, ain a whole new insight into nuclear weapons. My favorite chapter was "The Blast." Szasz spoke to a number of different people from all walks of life who experienced the blast of the Trinity. I chose this book as one of my book reviews for a history class and I found it to be an excellent read.

Not as exciting as it could be, but worthwhile...
My rating is really 3 1/2 stars...as the previous reviewiers have stated, this book has a lot of previously unknown information and is really written for the Trinity Test/Site enthusiast. Could be a lot more exciting, but well worth the read and should probably be read before you read R. Rhodes "Making of the Atomic Bomb".

Worthwhile, with some unique information
If you read one book about the bomb, read Richard Rhodes's "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". I read Szasz as a refresher a few days before visiting the Trinity site, and found that it had a number of nice bits of information. (The Trinity site can be visited on the first Saturdays of April & October.)