Manhattan Project

Historic Photos of the Manhattan Project
$39.95
While most of us probably associate only Los Alamos NM with the Manhattan Project, the large majority of photographs in this book are of Oak Ridge TN and Hanford WA, where the extraction of enriched uranium and plutonium took place (respectively).

There are a few photographs of the big names of the project, such as Groves, Fermi, and Oppenheimer, but almost all the photographs of people show some of the thousands of working people and their families that were part of the project. The selection includes crowd scenes, men and women at work, and many photographs of children.

I have always heard that the Manhattan Project was an effort equivalent to building an entirely new auto industry in the United States in three years. The photographs in this book make that clear in a way that just reading about it can't. The physical plant required for the project was enormous, and the infrastructure needed for the workers enormous as well.

The book also is something of a field guide to the America of the 1940s, particularly as regards Oak Ridge. All the women are wearing dresses (as are almost all of the little girls) and most of the men wear hats. The crowd scenes are a sea of white faces.

Oak Ridge was segregated, but there were black workers and it is to the author's credit that he found and included several photographs of them.

In sum, the book is a must-have for anyone interested in the Manhattan Project, and an excellent buy for anyone interested in photographs of mid-century America.

Now It Can Be Told: The Story Of The Manhattan Project (Quality Paperbacks Series)
$20.00
May be my opinion is a little biased because I am also an engineer, but the concise way this book is written is marvelous. The right ammount of detail so you are informed but not overwhelmed with data. It is interesting because the movies on the theme always focus on parts of the project; Groves, shows the whole picture so you get a technician's idea of how the complete project worked.

The Manhattan Project (Special Edition)
$14.98
The DVD transfer of this OLDER movie looks great in a upconverted 780P source. The story line may be a bit outdated, but cast does a good job. If you liked the old VHS or DVD release, this one is well worth the cost.

The Manhattan Project
$14.98
Chemistry whiz Council gives us an exhibition of public protest last seen in the 1970's. A supposed laser plant in a rural area is loaded illegally with governmental plutonium, and after being given a cursory tour by scientist Lithgow,
Council is ready to spill the beans bigtime. He methodically constructs a nuclear device, which he plans to exhibit at a statewide science fair,using a hamster project as a coverup. Meanwhile, "Uncle Sam" is hot on his trail, having discovered the missing plutonium. The mood of the film abruptly turns taut and tense, leading to several twists of uncertainty until the entire situation is resolved. One has a good feeling having seen this movie, which should attract multiple viewings by many.