Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age

Despite Title, This Is A Physics History - Not A WWII History. Despite using J. Robert Oppenheimer's famous quote upon seeing the detonation of the first atomic bomb - quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, he proclaimed "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" (in case you've been living under a rock and had never heard that tale) - and indeed even showing that moment in this history of physics, this really is exactly that - a history of nuclear physics and the scientists involved.

Even when the book finally gets into WWII and the Manhattan Project - as well as at least touching on both Germany and Japan's efforts to also create the first atom bomb - it still primarily focuses on the science, scientists, and the technical, logistical, and political challenges they were having. Indeed, this is really as close as this text gets to discussing the larger picture of WWII - or the Cold War after it ended.

Instead what we get is a fascinating, and perhaps first of its kind in just how detailed and comprehensive it is, examination of the history of scientific discovery as it relates to nuclear and even quantum physics. Yes, it has a lot of complex - as in, truly seemingly PhD level in the field - images of some of the various mathematical equations involved, but Close does a pretty great job of actually explaining them in such a way that someone with at least a high school physics class under their belt should be able to follow along reasonably well, and even for those that don't have even that background in physics, it really is more "history of physics" than "physics" in the text's actual discussions of the relevant histories. (Though I could absolutely see this being used as a textbook, particularly at the collegiate level and particularly in certain history classes or even physics classes, as a way of showing all that has come before to get us to roughly where we are in our understanding of the topics at hand.)

At least I had an easy enough time following along with the text here- though as others frequently tell me, this could very well be a "*my* abilities" thing rather than a more general level of ease. So please, read this book and write a review yourself, no matter who you may be, and please briefly describe your own educational background when you do. (For me, I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, came within a handful of classes of getting two other degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education and Mathematics -long story there - and had physics classes in both high school and college. In addition to several history classes, including a few covering the time and issues in question.) I also had a great time reading this over US Memorial Weekend 2025, as we prepare for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki later this summer - though I *did* expect this book would be more about those events than it was, which was one main reason I had originally picked it up and chose to read it at this exact time. So again, to be crystal clear yet another time: This is a history of nuclear physics, *NOT* a history of the atomic bomb directly or exclusively.

Truly a fascinating and compelling history, particularly for anyone at least remotely interested in the field for any reason.

Oh, and the star deduction? For all that is discussed here, the bibliography is actually rather short, clocking in at just 10% or so of the text. Astonishing, really, considering the sheer amount of history presented here.

Very much recommended.