15. Fiction, Poetry, Drama, etc., 1912-1989.

"Atomic bombs are being used by the Earth army against Martian villages. One soldier is a particularly enthusiastic combatant. . . The soldier is captured, witnesses the effects of the bombing first hand, and is appalled, finally identifying with the Martians. Rather remarkable as a pre-Hiroshima story." -Brians, p. 105.

Five allegorical short stories comprise Amis's "impassioned fictionalized protest against nuclear weapons." The foreword is an eloquent analysis of the paradoxes of the arms race.

A novel "mainly concerned with the security problems of its protagonist, which mirror those of Robert Oppenheimer. . . A very serious if somewhat ineptly written meditation on the responsibility of scientists for the bomb." -Brians, p. 114.

A novel of American culture in the 'fifties, in the shadow of the bomb tests and the McCarthy trials.

PRESENTATION COPY, signed and inscribed by Anderson. Brians, p. 117.

Interesting attempt to reconcile the old style "G.I. Joe" type comic with the exigencies of the atomic battlefield. Thus, in the first story, "both sides have agreed to use only low-yield, clean atomic ammunition, and to concentrate on established military targets."

Includes story of atomic war with Russia in 1976.

Original soundtrack for the movie. Re-issue of rare recordings from the 1940's & 1950's.

With four atomic battle stories: "Operation Vengeance," "The Ice-Box Invasion," "The Spy from Coney Island," and "Mission Demolition."

SIGNED BY BALLARD on the title-page. Brians, p. 124.

"A vast, dreary philosophical allegory in the form of a tour of history and the universe given a newly born godlet by his ambisexual parent. . . ." -Brians, p. 129.

"The narrative suggests that most races end their lives through nuclear war. . . One of the best hard science fiction novels of recent years." -Brians, p. 130. SIGNED BY BENFORD.

Article on pp. 280-295. See Brians, p. 59.

One of the classic postholocaust novels. "Three rebellious teenagers who reject the antiscientific, anti-urban attitudes of their postholocaust village go in quest of the fabled Bartorstown underground research center." -Brians, p. 141.

"A savagely effective satire of civil defense in comic strip form." -Brians, p. 145.

Brians, p. 146. A better than average postholocaust novel.

"Much more thoughtful and sensitive than most atomic spy stories." -Brians, p. 146.

Includes also "Save the Rosenbergs" by Howard Fast.

First Edition in English. Novel of the early years of radium research, centering on the lives of the Curies.

Another issue, in tan cloth, with top-edge unstained.

Presentation copy, signed & inscribed by Bryant. Includes "Jody after the War." Brians, p. 148.

First appearance. "In a souvenir shop featuring grotesque images of the atomic bombing of Japan, one can have one's picture taken posing as one of the victims." -Brians, p. 148.

First published poem by the 12-year old poet, written in the manner of Robert Burns.

A fictionalized account of the Manhattan Project. Brians, p. 149.

"Tautly-paced best-selling thriller about an accidental first strike on Moscow which the president allows to be balanced by the destruction of New York City." -Brians, p. 150.

"Religious fanaticism surrounding the invention of a 'Karburator' which liberates energy from matter creates a devastating world war which all but destroys civilization." -Brians, p. 154.

Association copy, with the ownership stamps and label of W.K. Williamson, sole U.S. agent for the novel and its film rights.

The second American edition of this prophetic novel, originally published in Czech in 1924. "An eccentric scientist succeeds in disintegrating the atom, creating a powerful weapon. . ." -Brians, p. 154.

Novel of atomic espionage in 1949. BOMC edition.

FIRST APPEARANCE of "a story notable because its detailed description of a U-235 fission bomb prompted the FBI to suspect a security leak from the Manhattan Project." -Brians, pp. 155-156.

"The Martians, alarmed by Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and ensuing space exploration attempts, ban further space travel by Earthlings." -Brians, p. 159.

An utopian vision of the uses of atomic energy. Although the first bomb test at Alamogordo is discussed, no mention is made of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Libyan nuclear terrorists hold New York City hostage.

A novel of the hijacking of six nuclear weapons from a U.S. supercarrier by a group of Middle-Eastern terrorists.

Advance review copy, with related promotional materials laid in. A novel of epic scope centered around the Rosenberg trial and execution.

The reknowned beat poet's verse response to nuclear weapons. Second issue. Wilson A3(b?).

PRESENTATION COPY, signed & inscribed by De Haven. "Concerns the interrelationships of a group of wretched freaks created by a small-scale atomic accident. . .generally well written, but its treatment of mutation is utterly fantastic and unscientific." -Brians, p. 176.

"A tedious thriller about a nuclear bomb placed on board a ship to be exploded in the middle of a naval review." -Brians, p. 185.

A very scarce novel of a new age of atomic power pursuant to the development of an extremely heavy element of atomic weight 500 by the United States. With a clipping of a contemporary review laid-in. Wilpert/Guehring 48 (this copy is "21. bis 30. Tausend"). Dominik wrote 3 other novels involving the liberation of atomic energy, Der Brand der Cheopspyramide (1926), Das Erbe der Uraniden (1928), and Lebenstrahlen (1938).

A detective thriller.

Novel of three American G.I.'s who parachute into Japan disguised as Catholic priests to warn the Christian community in Nagasaki of the impending atomic bomb attack.

This work is a very elaborate "livre a clef," presenting the Author's view of the world at the dawn of the atomic age in the form of a parody of Alice in Wonderland. Limited edition, this copy numbered "Complimentary," signed by Field and with an inscription on the Dedication leaf.

A paperback original.

An outstanding novel of nuclear proliferation in the Third World. "This story concerns one small country in the Western Hemisphere which used its CANDU reactor to build a bomb." -Prologue. Second printing.

Brians, p. 200.

Tale of a narrowly averted nuclear war. Brians, p. 201.

"The whole of America becomes sterile as the result of explosions at a nuclear fission plant; the one man who remains potent becomes the object of female attention." Dowling, 4; Brians, pp. 200-201.

"A fanatical general launches a preemptive strike against the USSR, unaware that the Russians have built a doomsday device which will destroy the world if they are attacked." The source of Dr. Strangelove, it was published in London as Two Hours to Doom.

"A novel about the men who make nuclear submarines, their town and their women."

Tale of a planeload of refugees who are stranded in the air after a nuclear war. Brians, p. 207. Brians does not mention the absurd ending, in which the earth is knocked off its axis by the bombs, creating a tropical paradise at the south pole, which has become the equator.

Granta is "A Paperback Magazine of New Writing." The present issue includes "The Scientists of Star Wars" by William Broad, and a section on "Fiction and the Bomb," containing "Quantum Jumps" by Tim O'Brien; "The Imagination of Disaster" by Mary Gordon; and "The Bridge" by David Mamet.

The murder of a high-ranking government official engaged in top-secret research in atomic energy is solved by detective Anthony Slade of Scotland Yard.

Novel of German espionage and the Manhattan project.

"This nearly unreadable exercise in war-gaming by a group of professional military men, warning of Soviet aggression, is one long editorial for military preparedness." -Brians, p. 210. See The Nation, October 27, 1984, for an article discussing President Reagan's enthusiasm for this book.

"The invention of an atomic dust weapon brings universal peace, at the cost of the loss of liberty." -Brians, p. 217.

FIRST APPEARANCE of Hersey's classic work.

"A brilliant novel written in a carefully constructed future English based on the assumption that after a nuclear war literacy will vanish. . . Moving and funny like Miller's 'A Canticle for Leibowitz,' this novel is ultimately more serious." -Brians, p. 218.

A novel about the spread of radiation sickness in England from contaminated food. Brians, p. 366.

Nuclear intrigue at the Chalk River plant.". . . desperate and vindictive characters from the Far East try to create `radioactive' chaos." -dust jacket blurb.

Includes "Atomic Dream" and "Bomb Shelters." Brians, p. 222.

A documentary novel of high-level political intrigue surrounding the development of the atomic bomb.

"Vivid recreation of the experience of the victims of the Hiroshima bombing. . . The power of this narrative, in which extraordinary horrors are borne with sorrow and dignity, makes the vast bulk of imaginary accounts of nuclear war pale in comparison." -Brians, pp. 224-225.

A novel about a leak of radioactive material from a nuclear power station in Toronto, Canada. Brians, p. 370, erroneously giving the publication date as 1976.

A "fantastic atomic plant disaster story," first published in Startling Stories in 1943 under the title "The Giant Atom." See Brians, pp. 8 & 370.

FIRST EDITION. An absurd novel concerning the discovery of a vast deposit of natural plutonium on the Russian border.

Although "an immediate response to Hiroshima by a retired naval officer anxious to acquaint the public with nuclear warfare, this is a very old-fashioned piece of fantasy, with little attention paid to scientific plausibility." -Brians, pp. 232-233.

Another issue of the above.

FIRST EDITION under this title, originally, Keiner kommt davon, Muenchen, 1957; The Seventh Day, Garden City, 1959. Brians, p. 234.

"A nearly indestructible and immensely old creature sealed in a block of crystal arranges to have himself shipped to Hiroshima so he can find death beneath the atomic bomb." -Brians, p. 239. This issue also includes article on "Denatured Atoms" on the Editor's page.

"The first of Kuttner's 'Baldy' tales. . . depicting telepathic mutants whose powers are the result of radiation from an atomic war." -Brians, p. 9.

FIRST EDITION. A novel of a nuclear reactor accident in New England, noteworthy for its attention to scientific detail. Not in Brians.

FIRST EDITION. A satirical futuristic novel of nuclear catastrophe.

A novel of stolen plutonium and nuclear blackmail.

"An American offer to buy land for an atomic war base in Iceland provokes a storm of protest throughout the country." Translated from Icelandic (original edition in 1948). The Author was a Nobel Prize winner for literature.

Brians, pp. 243-244. SIGNED BY LEIBER.

FIRST APPEARANCE of this early novel, in which the secret of harnessing the power of the atom is stolen with near dire consequences. Never issued in book form. Not in Brians.

A three-act play advocating nuclear disarmament. The Author was a physician and chemist with Dupont, and co-chief of the biochemistry division during the Bikini atomic tests.

Outstanding novel based on the true story of the death of Louis Slotin in a radiation accident at Los Alamos in 1946.

Novel of survival in a remote East-Texas town after a nuclear war.

Presentation copy, signed & inscribed by McMahon. "The novel captures the special excitement-intellectual, sexual, emotional-which surrounded the Los Alamos laboratories in 1943-1945." -dust jacket blurb.

Presentation copy, signed & inscribed by Merril. The Author's first book. "A specifically 'woman's view' of the danger of nuclear war." -Brians, p. 259. A television version, titled "Atomic Attack" was produced by ABC in 1954.

This poem in blank verse offers "a series of terse and sardonic observations on America's development and use of the atomic bomb in World War II." -Boyer, 354.

An utopic vision of the future of atomic energy, "based on cartoon TECHNICOLOR motion picture, 'The Mighty Atom.'"

A cult classic. "Three related stories of a post-nuclear war future. . . One of the best written, most thoughtful explorations of the theme." -Brians, p. 261.

Anthology of poems inspired by the Rosenberg execution. Includes "The Rosenbergs" by W.E.B. DuBois.

Outstanding novel set in post World War II Hiroshima. The Author and her husband founded a rest house in Hiroshima for the survivors of the atomic bomb. Brians, p. 266.

Sequel to The Flowers of Hiroshima. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO JOHN HERSEY. Brians, pp. 266-267.

FIRST BRITISH EDITION. Presentation copy, signed & inscribed by Morris.

Signed by Morrow. A surrealistic novel of World War III.

Catalogue of an exhibition of art relating to nuclear weapons.

The original prototype for the greatly expanded comic book of the following year.

This was a free handout for visitors to the General Electric concession at the "Man and the Atom" exhibit in New York's Central park during the Summer of 1948. See Boyer, pp. 296-297.

Hadashi no Gen was first serialized in 1972-1973 in Shukan Shonen Jampu.

"The earliest atomic muscular disarmament novel," in which "the British impose universal disarmament through their monopoly of atomic bombs delivered by rockets strongly resembling cruise missiles." -Brians, pp. 6 & 271-272.

First published in 1927 under the title The Pallid Giant. "Explorers discover an account of the destruction of an earlier civilization through an atomic weapon called "Klepton-Holorif." -Brians, p. 274. The Author is the son of John Noyes, founder of the famous Oneida Community. With a mimeographed curriculum vitae of the Author laid-in.

Reviewed in Dowling, p. 191.

"A nonfiction study of the danger of the proliferation of nuclear weapon-making ability in the Third World, including an elaborately developed fictional scenario in the first three chapters." -Brians, p. 275.

Uncorrected page proofs, pre-publication review copy.

A novel of intrigue at a high-energy physics weapons research laboratory in Hawaii.

"This special issue was devoted entirely to the depiction of a war with the USSR which results in the destruction of Russian communism and that nation's joyful adoption of the American way of life. Despite its hypocritical title, this is the ultimate cold war fantasy. . . ." -Brians, p. 161. For a critique and detailed breakdown of the contents, see Brians, pp. 16, 32, 34, 63 & 161-164. Comprises Collier's, Volume 128, No. 17.

A juvenile adventure novel.

Brians, pp. 287-288.

"Uncorrected Advance Proofs." A novel of high international intrigue, centered on an act of nuclear blackmail by the Shah of Iran.

"The diary of a button-pusher sealed four thousand feet underground at the bottom of a seven-level shelter complex" after a nuclear war. Brians, p. 293.

Tense novel of a nuclear reactor meltdown, by the authors of the Towering Inferno.

A race of super-intelligent children is created by radiation from an atomic explosion. Well written, despite the fantastic plot. Brians, p. 170.

"The best seller in which nuclear war ends all human life. . . still a moving and powerful depiction of the death of the human race." -Brians, p. 304. See also Dowling, pp. 4, 66, 72 & 82.

A fictional but highly authentic chronology of a nuclear accident in Dorset, Connecticut. Not in Brians.

"An American family reacts to radio broadcasts of the bombing of Hiroshima and the surrender of Japan, and years later must flee from the impact of an atomic attack on the U.S." -Brians, p. 306. This edition not in Brians.

Based on an unpublished play written in 1907. ". . . Tiny radium weapons are carried by guards. The new element radiumite, which produces atomic energy, kills all life on Earth when a mad professor smashes a jar full of it. Only eleven humans who happen to be flying in an airplane survive." -Brians, p. 4. Brians mistakenly calls for only two volumes.

A satirical novel about the Chernobyl disaster, this being the first part ("Prva sveska"), apparently all published to date.

An historical novel about Los Alamos and the Trinity test, by the author of Gorky Park.

A novel of the British atomic bomb project during World War II. Brians, p. 311.

Excellent novel about atomic physicists in pre-war England.

"Despite its unremarkable style, its rudimentary plot, its political improbabilities and its shallow characters, this is by far the most thoroughly researched of all the attempts to depict nuclear war realistically." -Brians, pp. 317-319.

"The first published fictional response to the bombing of Hiroshima." -Brians, p. 319. This issue also reprints an extensive excerpt from the "Smyth report." (Not in Coleman).

Includes "Grand Central Terminal." See Brians, pp. 321-322.

The first novel based on the release of energy by breaking down uranium. Brians, p. 326.

Text of a lecture on nuclear war at St. John the Divine, NYC, 23 May 1982.

Excellent novel based on the myth that had grown up surrounding the life at Los alamos of Edith Warner. For a factual account of Warner, see entry under Peggy Pond Church. This copy is signed by Waters.

One of the first novels depicting an atomic war, and the first to discuss hydrogen bombs. For an account of the influence of this book on Leo Szilard, see Rhodes, p. 24. Brians, p. 335.

A better-than-average postholocaust novel.

A serio-comic novel of disaster at a mammoth computer- controlled breeder reactor. Not in Brians.

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION of Whizz for Atomms.

Brians, pp. 338-339. A paperback original.

"An unusually intelligent and sensitive novel depicting the career of a young nuclear physicist. . . involved in secret atomic research as part of the Manhattan Project." -Brians, p. 341.

A young politician finds himself in possession of an atomic weapon and assumes the role of dictator of the country.

FIRST APPEARANCE, published here with testimonials by Bernard Baruch, Milton Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt, Norman Vincent Peale, and Carl Sandburg. Brians, p. 344.

First book appearance of "The Smuggled Atom Bomb." Brians, p. 345.

"Contrasts two towns: one with good civil defense preparations, the other with poor ones, but the fate of both is so awful that the lesson being proffered is somewhat muted...A one-hour radio dramatization narrated by Orson Welles was broadcast October 17, 1956." -Brians, p. 346.

Brians, p. 345.

Revised translation by Joachim Neugroschel of Die Explosion. Novel of a nuclear reactor accident in West Germany. See Brians, p. 370.