Memoirs: A Twentieth-Century Journey in Science and Politics by Edward Teller (PDF)

Description

The story of Edward Teller is the story of the twentieth century. Born in Hungary in 1908, Teller witnessed the rise of Nazism and anti-Semitism, two world wars, the McCarthy era, and the changing face of big science. A brilliant and controversial figure whose work on nuclear weapons was key to the American war effort, Teller has long believed in freedom through strong defense, a philosophy reflected in his stance on arms control and nuclear policy. These extraordinary recollections at last reveal the man behind the headlines-passionate and humorous, devoted and loyal. In clear and compelling prose, Teller tells of the people, events, and ideas that shaped him as a scientist, beginning with his early love of music and math, and continuing with his study of quantum physics with Werner Heisenberg. Present at many of the pivotal moments in modern science, Teller also describes his friendships with some of the century’s greatest minds-Einstein, Bohr, Fermi, Szilard, von Neumann, Oppenheimer-and offers an honest account of the development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs. He also offers a moving portrait of his childhood, his marriage and family life, and his friendship with physicist Maria Mayer. Writing about those aspects of his life that have had important public consequences-from his conservative politics to his relationships with scientists and presidents-Teller reveals himself to be a man with deep beliefs about liberty, security, and the moral responsibility of science.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “An important, informative, and interesting…book that fully lives up to expectations and can be wholeheartedly recommended.” — Washington Post”At once lively and profound…[ Memoirs] chronicles a remarkable life.” — National Review 9/30/02″Fascinating…Edward has captured the joys and the sorrows of [his life journey] in beautiful detail.” — Physics Today”Much of [Memoirs] is indeed the raw material of history and deserves to be held as an archive.” — Times Literary Supplement, 6/28/02″Panoramic and beautifully written recollections of one of the great scientific, if controversial, figures of all time.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)”[A]n illuminating, personable portrayal of arguably one of the greatest physicists of modern times.” — San Diego Union-Tribune About the Author Edward Teller is one of the most celebrated and controversial physicists alive today. Through his work at Los Alamos and his development of the hydrogen bomb, he helped usher in the atomic age. He is currently Director Emeritus of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and continues as a Senior Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Judith Shoolery is a former science teacher who has worked as a writer and editor on a variety of publications, most recently as a book editor at the Hoover Institution. Now retired, she and her husband live in Half Moon Bay, California.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The book is the autobiography of the nuclear physicist Edward Teller. It is well written and describes in detail is early childhood in Hungary, his early educational journeys, his education in Germany as a physicist,and his involvement in the Manhattan Project. He further describes his post-war involvement in the politics of the nuclear age and his experiences in that capacity. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the development of nuclear weapons and the international political fallout which ensued.

⭐It is unfortunate that several reviews of this book in leading newspapers have belittled the man who is Edward Teller, as well as his career. Such reviews tell more about the reviewer than they do about Teller’s memoirs, which are absolutely fascinating.Edward Teller had the good fortune to be right where major work in physics was taking place throughout his career. When the hotbed of physics research was in Hungary, he was in Hungary; when it was in Germany, he was in Germany; when it was in England, he was in England, and when it finally moved to America, so did Edward Teller.A man who is obviously passionate about applying scientific knowledge to solve problems, Teller decided long ago that consequences are for politicians to handle, scientists should only be concerned with furthering mankind’s knowledge to the best of their ability.This, Teller has done in remarkable fashion, and his memoirs allow you to tag along for the ride as he and others perform the mental gymnastics necessary to unlock the secrets of the atom. Far from being a dry technical treatise, however, Teller and Shoolery are surprisingly good at detailing the personalities behind the people, including those of Neils Bohr, J. Robert Oppenheimer (whose first name is Julius, we discover in the book), Enrico Fermi, Lev Landau and others whom most of us have only read about in passing when we were in school. We are also permitted to glimpse more than a few touching moments with his late wife Mici and his son, which reveal the depth of his affection.He also delves into the political proclivities of his associates, a surprising number of which had socialist and communist tendencies. An appendix gives relevant portions of his testimony during the Congressional investigation into Robert Oppenheimer.And the book doesn’t concentrate on the atom bomb, either. Teller’s career covers collaboration on an inherently safe nuclear reactor using hydride fuel (which we still are not yet using for electrical power production in the United States) to work on several ballistic missile defense systems from smart rocks to brilliant pebbles (which, we learn in the book, would protect the entire northern hemisphere — including Russia — if deployed). And at the end of the book, Teller gives us his view on where science, people and politics should go from here.If you have an inquisitive bone in your body, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. All things considered, it is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. It’s a shame that those who differ with Teller’s point of view on some issues chose to take it out on his memoirs. This book is fascinating — but I already said that, didn’t I.

⭐Very easy to read, a good combination between personal life, scientific developments, and political developments. I wish I could remember a fraction of what Edward Teller is able to recount, all the names, all the events. He must have a fantastic memory.

⭐Everyone who wants to have firsthand knowledge of the history of nuclear physics from the 1920’s to the 80’s will enjoy Teller’s Memoirs.He gives a thorough and honest account of his life and his role in the creation of the atomic and hydrogen bombs.

⭐Dr. Teller was a very brilliant physicist who was highly involved in the Manhattan Project and was considered to be the Father of the Hydrogen Bomb. His Memoirs gave a very thorough and detailed account of his very long life: indeed, his Memoirs were far more detailed than a biography!

⭐Excellent book.

⭐History buffs will certainly enjoy this book. Gives the reader an insiders point of view about the development of atomic weapons.

⭐Well-written autobiography by the most unfairly treated physicist of the 20th century. Teller was a great man, and very courageous in promoting nuclear security for the USA. As a result he was (and still is) the target of many hate groups.

⭐I had curiosities about E. Teller, really horrible things were said about a person who had only curiosity as a fault, certainly they were other times and there were other priorities, but if you read trying to identify yourself with a person of the 50’s they are seen things in another way. Really interesting.

⭐Die Autobiographie von Edward Teller ist ein einzigartiges Werk nicht nur ueber den Menschen, sondern auch ueber die Physik im 20. Jahrundert (nicht nur als Naturwissenschaft, sondern auch in Wechselwirkung mit der Politik, d.h. mit Nazis und Kommunisten in Europa, McCarthy in den USA usw.), die Entwicklung der Atombombe, die Rolle der Bombe im kalten Krieg, die Anfaenge der Entwicklung von Raketenabwehr (hochaktuell, da immer noch ein Zankapfel zwischen USA und Russland) usw. Ich empfehle dieses Buch gerade deshalb, weil Teller’s Ansichten zu Bombe und Politik vom europaeischen Mainstream abweichen, den dadurch vermittelt es nicht nur das Bild, dass man immer praesentiert bekommt, sondern eine andere und durchaus interessante Sicht der Dinge. Kurz gesagt, er war sicherlich nicht der Lila-Laune-Baer, aber Dr. Strangelove war er auch nicht…

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⭐Il les a tous côtoyés: Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg, Fermi, Szilard, Von Neumann, Ulam, Wigner, Lawrence, Oppenheimer… Il a participé à la bombe A, puis à la bombe H, puis à la Guerre des Etoiles. Il a toujours voulu pour les USA la supériorité nucléaire et balistique, en raison des drames causés par le nazisme puis le communisme.Il lui fallait un rival à sa mesure, ce fut Oppenheimer, le chef de projet de la bombe A, alors que Teller était le chef de projet de la bombe H. Teller a participé au “procès” d’Oppenheimer et, s’il ne l’a pas accablé, ne l’a pas aidé non plus. De son côté, Oppenheimer avait refusé un poste de directeur à Teller, et était hostile au développement de la bombe H.Edward Teller a eu un itinéraire extraordinaire dans la physique du 20ème siècle, qu’il raconte de façon passionnante.

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