Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race - Hardcover

Rhodes, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847371183 ISBN 13: 9781847371188

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2008

Synopsis

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb comes this brilliant account of the post-war superpower arms race, climaxing during the Reagan-Gorbachev decade when the United States and the Soviet Union came within scant hours of nuclear war -- and then nearly agreed to abolish nuclear weapons. In a narrative that reads like a thriller, Rhodes reveals how the Reagan administration's unprecedented arms build-up in the early 1980s led the Soviets to conclude that the U.S. must be preparing for a nuclear war -- only for Reagan, out of deep conviction, to launch the arms-reduction campaign of his second presidential term and set the stage for the famous 1986 summit with Gorbachev in Reykjavik, and the breakthroughs that followed. Drawing on personal interviews with both Soviet and U.S. participants, and on a wealth of new documentation that has become available only in the past ten years, Rhodes recounts what actually happened in the final years of the Cold War. The story is new, compelling, and continually surprising -- a revelatory re-creation of a hugely important era of our recent history.

About this title

Review:

"Every age finds the writers it needs, and the nuclear age has found Richard Rhodes."
"-The Nation
"
"Throughout his assiduously researched work, Rhodes cites stunning statistics to support his contention that the nuclear competition has run amok . . . dense with crucial, revealing information obtained from personal interviews and newly declassified documents, Rhodes's "Arsenals of Folly "is a dramatic and penetrating investigation of the nuclear arms race and its eventual end."
"-The Philadelphia Inquirer
"
"A terrifying overview of the global potential for killing."
-"The Economist
"
"Rhodes performs the remarkable feat of reconstructing all the niggling, the misunderstanding, the moments of obtuseness in a way that proves dramatic precisely in its repetitiveness and frustration."
-"Newsday
"
"His artful narrative contains some real gems."
-"New York Times Book Review
"
"Highly detailed and gripping . . . a chilling conclusion."
-"Scientific American
"
"Rich and riveting . . . a splendid writer . . . harrowing."
-"Los Angeles Times Book Review
""Using an impressive range of sources, clean writing and a clear sense of the dramatic, Rhodes triumphs."
-"Rocky Mountain News
"
"As a contribution to our understanding of the latter half of the 20th century, Rhodes's achievement is on a par with Taylor Branch's "America in the King Years "trilogy and Robert Caro's monumental ongoing biography of Lyndon B. Johnson."
-"The Mercury News "(San Jose, CA)
"Rhodes is not only an outstanding researcher and historian, he is a superb writer who enraptures the reader with a gripping narrative. Upon reading this important book, one will walk away ruminating on the unspeakable horror of the nuclear apocalypse that was, it often seems miraculously, avoided during the Cold War."
-"The Sunday Star-Ledger
"
"Stylistically, "Arsenals of Folly "is often quite distinguished. The impressive opening chapter-which describe the Chernobyl disaster in a controlled but morbidly involving tone-is an achievement . . . as an allegory of manipulated intelligence, miscalculation, and fatal ideology, it is alarmingly relevant."
-"The Tennessean
"
"No finer manual for learning from the mistakes of our past than [this] valuable book."
-"Seed "magazine
"Detailed and dramatic . . . devastating commentary on the perilous nature of the nuclear arms race."
-"Houston Chronicle
"
"Intriguing insight . . . Rhodes masterfully dissects decades of what he considers reckless and misguided policy decisions that led the United States and the Soviet Union to expand their nuclear arsenals beyond all logic . . . The author's deftly painted character portraits-he mentions Gorbachev's "southern Russian accent and hillbilly grammar"-make for an engrossing narrative."
-"The American Heritage"
"Absorbing . . . "
-"The Seattle Times
"
"With skillful insight, Richard Rhodes has woven accounts by Soviet and American insiders into a dark and troubling history of superpower insanity. He makes you wonder when we'll wake up, since some of the American villains keep coming back to haunt us: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle."
-David Shipler, "Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams"
"Richard Rhodes, our leading historian of nuclear weapons, has written a powerful, clear-eyed account of the nuclear arms race, focusing on Mikhail Gorbachev as the heroic figure in the history of mankind's 20th Century flirtation with oblivion. Rhodes gives the still-neglected happy ending to that flirtation the sweeping, insightful, and compelling treatment it deserves. So yes, this is an "important" book, but it reads like a political thriller."
-Robert G. Kaiser, "Why Gorbachev Happened"
"Compelling . . . an insightful chronicle of epoch-shaping events."
-"Booklist
"
"Rhodes accomplishes what neither American nor Soviet political cultures could manage over a half-century of nuclear cold war-to find the flesh-and-blood human reality on both sides. Rich with revelation, insight and detail, riveting as a powerful novel, "Arsenals of Folly" is transcendent history, haunting our memory and experience."
-Roger Morris, "Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America
"

"From the Hardcover edition."

"A gripping narrative of the paranoia, cynicism, bureaucratic infighting and manipulation that brought the world close to annihilation." --"San Francisco Chronicle" "Every age finds the writers it needs, and the nuclear age has found Richard Rhodes."--"The Nation""Throughout his assiduously researched work, Rhodes cites stunning statistics to support his contention that the nuclear competition has run amok . . . dense with crucial, revealing information obtained from personal interviews and newly declassified documents, Rhodes's Arsenals of Folly""is a dramatic and penetrating investigation of the nuclear arms race and its eventual end."--"The Philadelphia Inquirer""A terrifying overview of the global potential for killing."--"The Economist""Rhodes performs the remarkable feat of reconstructing all the niggling, the misunderstanding, the moments of obtuseness in a way that proves dramatic precisely in its repetitiveness and frustration."--"Newsday""His artful narrative contains some real gems."--"New York Times Book Review""Highly detailed and gripping . . . a chilling conclusion."--"Scientific American""Rich and riveting . . . a splendid writer . . . harrowing."--"Los Angeles Times Book Review ""Using an impressive range of sources, clean writing and a clear sense of the dramatic, Rhodes triumphs."--"Rocky Mountain News""As a contribution to our understanding of the latter half of the 20th century, Rhodes's achievement is on a par with Taylor Branch's "America in the King Years "trilogy and Robert Caro's monumental ongoing biography of Lyndon B. Johnson."--"The Mercury News "(San Jose, CA)"Rhodes is not only an outstanding researcher and historian, he is a superb writer who enraptures the reader with a gripping narrative. Upon reading this important book, one will walk away ruminating on the unspeakable horror of the nuclear apocalypse that was, it often seems miraculously, avoided during the Cold War." --"The Sunday Star-Ledger""Stylistically, Arsenals of Folly""is often quite distinguished. The impressive opening chapter-which describe the Chernobyl disaster in a controlled but morbidly involving tone-is an achievement . . . as an allegory of manipulated intelligence, miscalculation, and fatal ideology, it is alarmingly relevant."--"The Tennessean""No finer manual for learning from the mistakes of our past than [this] valuable book."--"Seed "magazine"Detailed and dramatic . . . devastating commentary on the perilous nature of the nuclear arms race."--"Houston Chronicle""Intriguing insight . . . Rhodes masterfully dissects decades of what he considers reckless and misguided policy decisions that led the United States and the Soviet Union to expand their nuclear arsenals beyond all logic . . . The author's deftly painted character portraits-he mentions Gorbachev's "southern Russian accent and hillbilly grammar"-make for an engrossing narrative."--"The American Heritage""Absorbing . . . "--"The Seattle Times""With skillful insight, Richard Rhodes has woven accounts by Soviet and American insiders into a dark and troubling history of superpower insanity. He makes you wonder when we'll wake up, since some of the American villains keep coming back to haunt us: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle."--David Shipler, "Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams""Richard Rhodes, our leading historian of nuclear weapons, has written a powerful, clear-eyed account of the nuclear arms race, focusing on Mikhail Gorbachev as the heroic figure in the history of mankind's 20th Century flirtation with oblivion. Rhodes gives the still-neglected happy ending to that flirtation the sweeping, insightful, and compelling treatment it deserves. So yes, this is an "important" book, but it reads like a political thriller."--Robert G. Kaiser, "Why Gorbachev Happened""Compelling . . . an insightful chronicle of epoch-shaping events."--"Booklist""Rhodes accomplishes what neither American nor Soviet political cultures could manage over a half-century of nuclear cold war-to find the flesh-and-blood human reality on both sides. Rich with revelation, insight and detail, riveting as a powerful novel, Arsenals of Folly is transcendent history, haunting our memory and experience." --Roger Morris, "Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America"

A gripping narrative of the paranoia, cynicism, bureaucratic infighting and manipulation that brought the world close to annihilation. San Francisco Chronicle Every age finds the writers it needs, and the nuclear age has found Richard Rhodes. The Nation Throughout his assiduously researched work, Rhodes cites stunning statistics to support his contention that the nuclear competition has run amok . . . dense with crucial, revealing information obtained from personal interviews and newly declassified documents, Rhodes s Arsenals of Folly is a dramatic and penetrating investigation of the nuclear arms race and its eventual end. The Philadelphia Inquirer A terrifying overview of the global potential for killing. The Economist Rhodes performs the remarkable feat of reconstructing all the niggling, the misunderstanding, the moments of obtuseness in a way that proves dramatic precisely in its repetitiveness and frustration. Newsday His artful narrative contains some real gems. New York Times Book Review Highly detailed and gripping . . . a chilling conclusion. Scientific American Rich and riveting . . . a splendid writer . . . harrowing. Los Angeles Times Book Review Using an impressive range of sources, clean writing and a clear sense of the dramatic, Rhodes triumphs. Rocky Mountain News As a contribution to our understanding of the latter half of the 20th century, Rhodes s achievement is on a par with Taylor Branch s America in the King Years trilogy and Robert Caro s monumental ongoing biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. The Mercury News (San Jose, CA) Rhodes is not only an outstanding researcher and historian, he is a superb writer who enraptures the reader with a gripping narrative. Upon reading this important book, one will walk away ruminating on the unspeakable horror of the nuclear apocalypse that was, it often seems miraculously, avoided during the Cold War. The Sunday Star-Ledger Stylistically, Arsenals of Folly is often quite distinguished. The impressive opening chapter which describe the Chernobyl disaster in a controlled but morbidly involving tone is an achievement . . . as an allegory of manipulated intelligence, miscalculation, and fatal ideology, it is alarmingly relevant. The Tennessean No finer manual for learning from the mistakes of our past than [this] valuable book. Seed magazine Detailed and dramatic . . . devastating commentary on the perilous nature of the nuclear arms race. Houston Chronicle Intriguing insight . . . Rhodes masterfully dissects decades of what he considers reckless and misguided policy decisions that led the United States and the Soviet Union to expand their nuclear arsenals beyond all logic . . . The author s deftly painted character portraits he mentions Gorbachev s southern Russian accent and hillbilly grammar make for an engrossing narrative. The American Heritage Absorbing . . . The Seattle Times With skillful insight, Richard Rhodes has woven accounts by Soviet and American insiders into a dark and troubling historyof superpower insanity. He makes you wonder when we'll wake up, sincesome of the American villains keep coming back to haunt us: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle. David Shipler, Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams Richard Rhodes, our leading historian of nuclear weapons, has written a powerful, clear-eyed account of the nuclear arms race, focusing on Mikhail Gorbachev as the heroic figure in the history of mankind s 20th Century flirtation with oblivion. Rhodes gives the still-neglected happy ending to that flirtation the sweeping, insightful, and compelling treatment it deserves. So yes, this is an important book, but it reads like a political thriller. Robert G. Kaiser, Why Gorbachev Happened Compelling . . . an insightful chronicle of epoch-shaping events. Booklist"Rhodes accomplishes what neither American nor Soviet political cultures could manage over a half-century of nuclear cold war to find the flesh-and-blood human reality on both sides. Rich with revelation, insight and detail, riveting as a powerful novel, Arsenals of Folly is transcendent history, haunting our memory and experience." Roger Morris, Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America"

A gripping narrative of the paranoia, cynicism, bureaucratic infighting and manipulation that brought the world close to annihilation. San Francisco Chronicle

Every age finds the writers it needs, and the nuclear age has found Richard Rhodes. The Nation

Throughout his assiduously researched work, Rhodes cites stunning statistics to support his contention that the nuclear competition has run amok . . . dense with crucial, revealing information obtained from personal interviews and newly declassified documents, Rhodes s Arsenals of Folly is a dramatic and penetrating investigation of the nuclear arms race and its eventual end. The Philadelphia Inquirer

A terrifying overview of the global potential for killing. The Economist

Rhodes performs the remarkable feat of reconstructing all the niggling, the misunderstanding, the moments of obtuseness in a way that proves dramatic precisely in its repetitiveness and frustration. Newsday

His artful narrative contains some real gems. New York Times Book Review

Highly detailed and gripping . . . a chilling conclusion. Scientific American

Rich and riveting . . . a splendid writer . . . harrowing. Los Angeles Times Book Review

Using an impressive range of sources, clean writing and a clear sense of the dramatic, Rhodes triumphs. Rocky Mountain News

As a contribution to our understanding of the latter half of the 20th century, Rhodes s achievement is on a par with Taylor Branch s America in the King Years trilogy and Robert Caro s monumental ongoing biography of Lyndon B. Johnson. The Mercury News (San Jose, CA)

Rhodes is not only an outstanding researcher and historian, he is a superb writer who enraptures the reader with a gripping narrative. Upon reading this important book, one will walk away ruminating on the unspeakable horror of the nuclear apocalypse that was, it often seems miraculously, avoided during the Cold War. The Sunday Star-Ledger

Stylistically, Arsenals of Folly is often quite distinguished. The impressive opening chapter which describe the Chernobyl disaster in a controlled but morbidly involving tone is an achievement . . . as an allegory of manipulated intelligence, miscalculation, and fatal ideology, it is alarmingly relevant. The Tennessean

No finer manual for learning from the mistakes of our past than [this] valuable book. Seed magazine

Detailed and dramatic . . . devastating commentary on the perilous nature of the nuclear arms race. Houston Chronicle

Intriguing insight . . . Rhodes masterfully dissects decades of what he considers reckless and misguided policy decisions that led the United States and the Soviet Union to expand their nuclear arsenals beyond all logic . . . The author s deftly painted character portraits he m...

About the Author:

Richard Rhodes is the author of several books. He received the Pulitzer prize for THE MAKING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB and the History of Science Society's Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize for DARK SUN.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847371183
• ISBN 13: 9781847371188
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352