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: #342394 in Books
• Published on: 1984-07-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

About the Author
Ferenc Morton Szasz is professor of history at the University of New Mexico.

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 which changed American history and 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 offers a visual effect of the actual event. Photographs of the people show the reader who was involved in the project. The map explains the large area in the state of New Mexico 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, gain more insight into nuclear weapons. My favorite chapter was "The Blast." Szasz spoke to a number of 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 special topics history class and found it to be an excellent read.

Just what the title promises
A short book that focuses on the Trinity test of the first nuclear 'device' (not a bomb, because it wasn't cable of being dropped from a plane). Worth reading if you're as deeply interested in this subject as I am.

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.)