Novel Explosives


Book Description

It's an otherwise ordinary week in April, the week after Easter, 2009. Late in the week, a man wakes up in Guanajuato, Mexico, with his knowledge intact, but with no memory of who he is, or how he came to live in Guanajuato. Early in the week, a venture capitalist sits at his desk in an office tower in Los Angeles, attempting to complete his business memoirs, but troubled by the fact that a recent deal appears to be some sort of money-laundering scheme. And in the middle of the week, just before dawn on April 15, two gunmen arrive at an El Paso motel to retrieve a duffel bag stuffed full of currency, and eliminate the man who brought it to El Paso. Thus begins the three-stranded narrative of Novel Explosives, a fiendishly funny search for identity that travels through the worlds of venture finance, the Juarez drug wars, and the latest innovations in thermobaric weaponry, a joyride of a novel with only one catch: the deeper into the book you go, the more dangerous it gets. At the palpitating heart of the novel, at its roiling fundamental core, lies an agonizing reappraisal of the way the U.S behaves in the world, a project that grows more urgent by the day.




Explosives


Book Description

The unrivaled, definitive reference for almost 40 years, this classic work on explosives is now in its seventh, completely revised and updated edition. Some 500 monographic entries, arranged alphabetically, consider the physicochemical properties, production methods, and safe applications of over 120 explosive chemicals. In addition, 70 fuels, additives, and oxidizing agents are discussed as well as the corresponding test methods. Trade, company, and military short names are provided for many of the materials listed, while further key features include a combined index and glossary with terms and abbreviations in English, French, and German, as well as conversion tables and many literature references. Finally, this indispensable source also contains safety data and transport regulations.




Bomb Shelter


Book Description

"A ... memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope"--




The Anarchist Cookbook


Book Description

The Anarchist Cookbook will shock, it will disturb, it will provoke. It places in historical perspective an era when "Turn on, Burn down, Blow up" are revolutionary slogans of the day. Says the author" "This book... is not written for the members of fringe political groups, such as the Weatherman, or The Minutemen. Those radical groups don't need this book. They already know everything that's in here. If the real people of America, the silent majority, are going to survive, they must educate themselves. That is the purpose of this book." In what the author considers a survival guide, there is explicit information on the uses and effects of drugs, ranging from pot to heroin to peanuts. There i detailed advice concerning electronics, sabotage, and surveillance, with data on everything from bugs to scramblers. There is a comprehensive chapter on natural, non-lethal, and lethal weapons, running the gamut from cattle prods to sub-machine guns to bows and arrows.




A Most Damnable Invention


Book Description

The dramatic story of two brilliant but controversial men and their world-changing scientific discoveries. Humanity's desire to harness the destructive capacity of fire extends back to the dawn of civilization. But the true age of explosives began in the 1860s with Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel's discovery of dynamite, which made possible industrial mega-projects such as the Panama Canal. Dynamite also caused great loss of life and environmental damage. With a troubled conscience, Nobel left his vast estate to the Nobel Prizes. As the use of explosives and fertilizers soared, nations scrambled for the vital ingredient: nitrates. The 'nitrogen problem' was solved by enigmatic German scientist Fritz Haber. His breakthrough not only prolonged the First World War, but led to the tripling of world population. When he was awarded a Nobel Prize, it sparked international condemnation. Deftly blending popular science, history and biography, A Most Damnable Invention is a vivid account of the incendiary substance that truly made our world.




Bomb (Graphic Novel)


Book Description

A riveting graphic novel adaptation of the award-winning nonfiction book, Bomb—the fascinating and frightening true story of the creation behind the most destructive force that birthed the arms race and the Cold War. In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents. In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists, led by "father of the atomic bomb" J. Robert Oppenheimer, was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb. New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin's award-winning nonfiction book is now available reimagined in the graphic novel format. Full color illustrations from Nick Bertozzi are detailed and enriched with the nonfiction expertise Nick brings to the story as a beloved artist, comic book writer, and commercial illustrator who has written a couple of his own historical graphic novels, including Shackleton and Lewis & Clark. Accessible, gripping, and educational, this new edition of Bomb is perfect for young readers and adults alike. Praise for Bomb (2012): “This superb and exciting work of nonfiction would be a fine tonic for any jaded adolescent who thinks history is 'boring.' It's also an excellent primer for adult readers who may have forgotten, or never learned, the remarkable story of how nuclear weaponry was first imagined, invented and deployed—and of how an international arms race began well before there was such a thing as an atomic bomb.” —The Wall Street Journal “This is edge-of-the seat material that will resonate with YAs who clamor for true spy stories, and it will undoubtedly engross a cross-market audience of adults who dozed through the World War II unit in high school.” —The Bulletin (starred review) Also by Steve Sheinkin: Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution Two Miserable Presidents: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War




Project Plowshare


Book Description

Inspired by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech, scientists at the Atomic Energy Commission and the University of California's Radiation Laboratory began in 1957 a program they called Plowshare. Joined by like-minded government officials, scientists, and business leaders, champions of "peaceful nuclear explosions" maintained that they could create new elements and isotopes for general use, build storage facilities for water or fuel, mine ores, increase oil and natural gas production, generate heat for power production, and construct roads, harbors, and canals. By harnessing the power of the atom for nonmilitary purposes, Plowshare backers expected to protect American security, defend U.S. legitimacy and prestige, and ensure access to energy resources. Scott Kaufman's extensive research in nearly two dozen archives in three nations shows how science, politics, and environmentalism converged to shape the lasting conflict over the use of nuclear technology. Indeed, despite technological and strategic promise, Plowshare's early champions soon found themselves facing a vocal and powerful coalition of federal and state officials, scientists, industrialists, environmentalists, and average citizens. Skeptical politicians, domestic and international pressure to stop nuclear testing, and a lack of government funding severely restricted the program. By the mid-1970s, Plowshare was, in the words of one government official, "dead as a doornail." However, the thought of using the atom for peaceful purposes remains alive.




Runner


Book Description

Living with his alcoholic father on a broken-down sailboat on Puget Sound has been hard on seventeen-year-old Chance Taylor, but when his love of running leads to a high-paying job, he quickly learns that the money is not worth the risk.




The Chemistry of Explosives


Book Description

Revised and expanded to reflect new developments in the field, this book outlines the basic principles required to understand the chemical processes of explosives. The Chemistry of Explosives provides an overview of the history of explosives, taking the reader to future developments. The text on the classification of explosive materials contains much data on the physical parameters of primary and secondary explosives. The explosive processes of deflagration and detonation, including the theory of 'hotspots' for the detonation process, are introduced and many examples are provided in the detailed description on the thermochemistry of explosives. New material includes coverage of the latest explosive compositions, such as high temperature explosives, nitrocubanes, energetic polymers, plasticizers and insensitive munitions (IM). This concise, readable book is ideal for 'A' level students and new graduates with no previous knowledge of explosive materials. With detailed information on a vast range of explosives in tabular form and an extensive bibliography, this book will also be useful to anyone needing succinct information on the subject.




Burned


Book Description

The #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Crank" returns with a gripping, masterful novel, told in verse, that weaves a riveting story about a teenage girl who is raised in a fundamentally religious yet abusive family.