[ATOMIC BOMB: THE INFAMOUS SMYTH REPORT]. A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes
by Smyth, Henry Dewolf
- Used
- good
- first
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
Lockhart, Texas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Washington DC: War Department, 1945. First Edition. Good. 4to (7.5" x 10"). Unpaginated [98 ff.], lithoprinted. Lacking paper wrappers, textblock backed with white and marbled spine (first and last leaves a trifle worn, usual blemishes). Ex-library U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory with standard markings (see below); on the title-page is the word "copy" (reproduced from another copy?) possibly cancelled. With faults, correctly priced. Preserved in a cloth protective case. THE MOST HORRIFIC WEAPON DEVISED BY MANKIND: THE FIRST PUBLISHED ACCOUNT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB. THIS HARROWING U.S. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT MUST BE SEEN TO BE FULLY APPRECIATED.
Issued by the GPO on Aug. 12th, 1945 -- just six days after Hiroshima and three days after Nagasaki -- the "Smyth Report" (as it is familiarly known) describes, with alarming candidness, the development of the Manhattan Project and their discoveries. Then, as now, readers have found the text frightening. The thirteen chapters herein include the administrative history of the project, the metallurgical project at Chicago (1942), plutonium production, separation of isotopes, diffusion and electromagnetic separation, and physical construction of the bomb. Additionally there is a Foreward by Maj. Gen. Groves, who gravely warns all who dare: "Persons disclosing or securing additional information by any means whatsoever without authorization are subject to severe penalties under the Espionage Act."
This is a pre-publication lithoprint issue, one of approximately 1000 copies which were hastily printed and assembled in heavily secured facilities at the Adjutant General's Office in the Pentagon, rendering many copies incomplete or wrongly bound. These copies were stored in a safe at the Pentagon until after the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, when President Truman made the decision to release the Report to the public. Copies of the lithoprint issue were sent to members of Congress, Manhattan Project leaders and scientists, military personnel, and the press.
Our copy is distinguished by its provenance: it is one of at least three sent to the now-defunct U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory (ours was copy 3 and features associated ex-library markings throughout). It contains the important page VI-12 that was redacted from press copies and replaced with a blank page or even no page. This text gives plutonium production details intended only for the military, their contractors, engineers, and scientists. In the present copy fols. IX-7, IX-8, and "IX-8 cont'd" were TYPED and bound in (they are now separated from the textblock). Coleman, in his 1976 "Descriptive Checklist" of the Smyth Report variants, does not mention such a copy. Perhaps this ex-Naval Ordnance copy arrived incomplete, necessitating the three typewritten pages for military personnel,
This lithoprint issue was preceded by the mimeograph version (50 copies, of which only Smyth's copy survives) and a "ditto" version (respectively Coleman 1 and 2). Questions about Coleman's conclusions have been raised by Anne Bahde who examined 22 copies in the Oregon State University Library, including two very early versions in the Linus Pauling Papers (see her "Serifs and Secrecy: The Smyth Report in SCARC," online). We feel that Bahde is correct in pronouncing the Smyth Report as the "Gutenberg Bible of the Atomic Age."
PMM 422e. Norman 1962. Landmarks of Science, p. 12. Coleman, "'Smyth Report': A Descriptive Checklist" (in: Princeton University Library Chronicle, Spring 1976, vol. XXXVII, no. 3, pp. 206-207, no. 3).
Issued by the GPO on Aug. 12th, 1945 -- just six days after Hiroshima and three days after Nagasaki -- the "Smyth Report" (as it is familiarly known) describes, with alarming candidness, the development of the Manhattan Project and their discoveries. Then, as now, readers have found the text frightening. The thirteen chapters herein include the administrative history of the project, the metallurgical project at Chicago (1942), plutonium production, separation of isotopes, diffusion and electromagnetic separation, and physical construction of the bomb. Additionally there is a Foreward by Maj. Gen. Groves, who gravely warns all who dare: "Persons disclosing or securing additional information by any means whatsoever without authorization are subject to severe penalties under the Espionage Act."
This is a pre-publication lithoprint issue, one of approximately 1000 copies which were hastily printed and assembled in heavily secured facilities at the Adjutant General's Office in the Pentagon, rendering many copies incomplete or wrongly bound. These copies were stored in a safe at the Pentagon until after the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, when President Truman made the decision to release the Report to the public. Copies of the lithoprint issue were sent to members of Congress, Manhattan Project leaders and scientists, military personnel, and the press.
Our copy is distinguished by its provenance: it is one of at least three sent to the now-defunct U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory (ours was copy 3 and features associated ex-library markings throughout). It contains the important page VI-12 that was redacted from press copies and replaced with a blank page or even no page. This text gives plutonium production details intended only for the military, their contractors, engineers, and scientists. In the present copy fols. IX-7, IX-8, and "IX-8 cont'd" were TYPED and bound in (they are now separated from the textblock). Coleman, in his 1976 "Descriptive Checklist" of the Smyth Report variants, does not mention such a copy. Perhaps this ex-Naval Ordnance copy arrived incomplete, necessitating the three typewritten pages for military personnel,
This lithoprint issue was preceded by the mimeograph version (50 copies, of which only Smyth's copy survives) and a "ditto" version (respectively Coleman 1 and 2). Questions about Coleman's conclusions have been raised by Anne Bahde who examined 22 copies in the Oregon State University Library, including two very early versions in the Linus Pauling Papers (see her "Serifs and Secrecy: The Smyth Report in SCARC," online). We feel that Bahde is correct in pronouncing the Smyth Report as the "Gutenberg Bible of the Atomic Age."
PMM 422e. Norman 1962. Landmarks of Science, p. 12. Coleman, "'Smyth Report': A Descriptive Checklist" (in: Princeton University Library Chronicle, Spring 1976, vol. XXXVII, no. 3, pp. 206-207, no. 3).
Details
- Bookseller
- Michael Laird Rare Books LLC (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3969
- Title
- [ATOMIC BOMB: THE INFAMOUS SMYTH REPORT]. A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes
- Author
- Smyth, Henry Dewolf
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- War Department
- Place of Publication
- Washington DC
- Date Published
- 1945
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Michael Laird Rare Books LLC
14 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 14 days after delivery if an item arrives mis-described or damaged.
About the Seller
Michael Laird Rare Books LLC
Biblio member since 2007
Lockhart, Texas
About Michael Laird Rare Books LLC
Welcome to Michael Laird Rare Books, LLC. We specialize in fine and rare books, manuscripts, documents, ephemera, fine and historic bookbindings, and illustrated books of every description. Michael Laird is a member of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America), ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers), and the Appraisers Association of America (USPAP compliant, and AAA certified in the appraisal of Rare and Antiquarian Printed Books). Michael Laird earned his masters degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin (1989) and has more thirty years experience in the antiquarian book trade. He is the principal Rare Book and Document appraiser at Winston Art Group (New York) and Gurr Johns (New York). From 2002 until 2013 he taught advanced graduate level courses in Rare Books and Special Collections (Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University, and the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin School of Information).
We invite you to browse through a selection of our inventory: we strive to present the greatest historic detail and bibliographic accuracy, even for lesser priced - but no less interesting - items. We are happy to provide further images of any item: please inquire.
Order with confidence: we select every item with great care and discernment; moreover, we examine every page of every book. We are always interested in purchasing fine and rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera; please inquire. We very much appreciate your interest in our work, and your patronage. Thank you!
We invite you to browse through a selection of our inventory: we strive to present the greatest historic detail and bibliographic accuracy, even for lesser priced - but no less interesting - items. We are happy to provide further images of any item: please inquire.
Order with confidence: we select every item with great care and discernment; moreover, we examine every page of every book. We are always interested in purchasing fine and rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera; please inquire. We very much appreciate your interest in our work, and your patronage. Thank you!
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Wrappers
- The paper covering on the outside of a paperback. Also see the entry for pictorial wraps, color illustrated coverings for...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- A.N.
- The book is pristine and free of any defects, in the same condition as ...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...