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The Smithsonian Institution
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The Smithsonian Institution Paperback - 1999 - 1st Edition

by Gore Vidal

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A teenage math genius is mysteriously summoned to the Smithsonian Institution, where a crash program to develop the atomic bomb is being conducted in the basement. Surrounded by figures from American history, the boy battles to save not just himself, but humanity.

Summary

It's 1939, and a teenage math genius is mysteriously summoned to the Smithsonian Institution, where a crash program to develop the atomic bomb is being conducted in the basement. The boy turns out to hold the key to both the secrets of nuclear fission and breakthroughs in the time continuum. As he brainstorms with Robert Oppenheimer, he catches a glimpse of the coming war and becomes determined to ward off the cataclysm. In a race against time-and surrounded by figures from American history past and present, including Albert Einstein, Grover Cleveland, and Abraham Lincoln-he battles to save not just himself, but humanity. Gore Vidal has written some of the finest and most inventive novels in modern times. Readers of such bestsellers as Burr, Lincoln, Duluth, and 1876 will revel in this, his latest foray into the American scene. A brilliant and vividly imaginative tale about some of the key events of the twentieth century, The Smithsonian Institution is a dramatic masterwork of comedy and allusion.

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From the publisher

It's 1939, and a teenage math genius is mysteriously summoned to the Smithsonian Institution, where a crash program to develop the atomic bomb is being conducted in the basement. The boy turns out to hold the key to both the secrets of nuclear fission and breakthroughs in the time continuum. As he brainstorms with Robert Oppenheimer, he catches a glimpse of the coming war and becomes determined to ward off the cataclysm. In a race against time-and surrounded by figures from American history past and present, including Albert Einstein, Grover Cleveland, and Abraham Lincoln-he battles to save not just himself, but humanity. Gore Vidal has written some of the finest and most inventive novels in modern times. Readers of such bestsellers as Burr, Lincoln, Duluth, and 1876 will revel in this, his latest foray into the American scene. A brilliant and vividly imaginative tale about some of the key events of the twentieth century, The Smithsonian Institution is a dramatic masterwork of comedy and allusion.

Details

  • Title The Smithsonian Institution
  • Author Gore Vidal
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 272
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Mariner Books, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 1999-09-16
  • ISBN 9780156006484 / 0156006480
  • Weight 0.8 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.38 x 5.48 x 0.7 in (21.29 x 13.92 x 1.78 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1930's
    • Chronological Period: 1940's
    • Chronological Period: 1900-1949
    • Cultural Region: Mid-Atlantic
    • Geographic Orientation: District of Columbia
    • Topical: Coming of Age
  • Category Fiction - Historical
  • Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Time travel
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 99015151
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"Vidal is in fine form here. The Smithsonian Institution, perhaps because it frees him from having to write realistically, is a masterpiece of frenzied invention.-Chicago Tribune "Phantasmagoric."-The New York Times
"A high-spirited tour of American history, romance and Washington politics interpreted by Vidal's unique brand of social commentary. The Smithsonian Institution wins the literary lion a small victory in his running battle with Washington's pomposity by proving that humor is mightier than the sword."-The Denver Post

Citations

  • New York Times, 10/24/1999, Page 48
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

by Vidal, Gore

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

by Vidal, Gore

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Gripping Alternate History Thriller – One Genius Races to...
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Gripping Alternate History Thriller – One Genius Races to Rewrite Time

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The Smithsonian Institution : A Novel

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The Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

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The Smithsonian Institution
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The Smithsonian Institution

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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel
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The Smithsonian Institution: A Novel

by Vidal, Gore

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