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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective Hardcover - 2004

by J. Samuel Walker


From the publisher

Twenty-five years ago, Hollywood released The China Syndrome, featuring Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas as a TVnews crew who witness what appears to be a serious accident at a nuclear power plant. In a spectacular coincidence, on March 28, 1979, less than two weeks after the movie came out, the worst accident in the history of commercial nuclear power in the United States occurred at Three Mile Island. For five days, the citizens of central Pennsylvania and the entire world, amid growing alarm, followed the efforts of authorities to prevent the crippled plant from spewing dangerous quantities of radiation into the environment. This book is the first comprehensive account of the causes, context, and consequences of the Three Mile Island crisis. In gripping prose, J. Samuel Walker captures the high human drama surrounding the accident, sets it in the context of the heated debate over nuclear power in the seventies, and analyzes the social, technical, and political issues it raised. His superb account of those frightening and confusing days will clear up misconceptions held to this day about Three Mile Island.

The heart of Walker's suspenseful narrative is a moment-by-moment account of the accident itself, in which he brings to life the players who dealt with the emergency: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the state of Pennsylvania, the White House, and a cast of scientists and reporters. He also looks at the aftermath of the accident on the surrounding area, including studies of its long-term health effects on the population, providing a fascinating window onto the politics of nuclear power and an authoritative account of a critical event in recent American history.

First line

Kimberly Wells, a reporter for a Los Angeles television station, was an unlikely source for a major story on the hazards of nuclear power.

From the rear cover

"A superb account of the frightening and confusing accident at Three Mile Island in the spring of 1979. Walker succeeds in providing, in suspenseful prose, the best account to date about the crisis. Drawing on the insights gained from all his work over the past twenty years, Walker puts this tale into historical context, and helps us understand the hopes and fears that surrounded atomic energy, and shows how they affected responses to the accident. Prior accounts pale in comparison to this work."--Allan M. Winkler, author of Life Under a Cloud: American Anxiety about the Atom

"This book covers a celebrated techno-political event with authority and dispassion, capturing a sense of the human frailty and heroism that proved both tragic and comic. Walker is that rare historian who exemplifies fairness and balance in a readable style. Three Mile Island details necessary background before establishing a strong narrative, weaving the participants in a drama that many of us shared but none fully understood--until now."--William Lanouette, author of Genius in the Shadows: A Biography of Leo Szilard, the Man Behind the Bomb

Details

  • Title Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
  • Author J. Samuel Walker
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 303
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles
  • Date 2004-03-22
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780520239401 / 0520239407
  • Weight 1.32 lbs (0.60 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.24 x 6.46 x 1.02 in (23.47 x 16.41 x 2.59 cm)
  • Reading level 1500
  • Themes
    • Topical: Ecology
  • Library of Congress subjects Nuclear power plants - Accidents, Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant (Pa.)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2003010137
  • Dewey Decimal Code 363.179

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 03/15/2004, Page 1248
  • Choice, 07/01/2004, Page 2067
  • Univ PR Books for Public Libry, 01/01/2005, Page 38

About the author

J. Samuel Walker is the historian of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. His previous books include Permissible Dose: A History of Radiation Protection in the Twentieth Century (California, 2000) and Containing the Atom: Nuclear Regulation in a Changing Environment, 1963-1971 (California, 1992).
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Three Mile Island : A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

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Three Mile Island A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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Three Mile Island A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

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University of California Press. As New in Fine dust jacket. 2004. Third Printing. Hardcover. 0520239407 . This specific hardback book is in new condition with a hard board cover that has sharp edges and corners and has a tight binding. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked and uncreased. The dust jacket is in fine condition with barely detectable wear if any. We package all books in custom cardboard book boxes for shipment and ship daily with tracking numbers.; "The heart of Walker's suspenseful narrative is a moment-by-moment account of the accident itself, in which he brings to life the players who dealt with the emergency: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the state of Pennsylvania, the White House, and a cast of scientists and reporters. He also looks at the aftermath of the accident on the surrounding area, including studies of its long-term health effects on the population, providing a fascinating window onto the politics of nuclear power and an authoritative account of a… Read More
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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

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Hardback. New. On March 28, 1979 the worst accident in the history of commercial nuclear power in the United States occurred at Three Mile Island. This is the comprehensive account of the causes, context, and consequences of the Three Mile Island crisis. It captures the high human drama surrounding the accident.
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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

by J. Samuel Walker

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University of California Press, March 2004. First. Hardcover . Used - fine/Fine. First Edition. Inscribed to William Lanouette, author of Leo Szilard biography, 'Genius in the Shadows' and mentioned on page 222. A square, tight and unmarked copy with text which appears unread. Dust jacket now protected in removable mylar.
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Three Mile Island; A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
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Three Mile Island; A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective

by Walker, J. Samuel

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Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good. xi, [1], 303, [5] pages. Illustrations. List of Illustrations. Notes. Essay on Sources. Index. Inscription signed and dated by the author on title page. Cover has slight wear and soiling. J. Samuel Walker is an American historian and author based in Maryland, most notable for his research and writing on the nuclear age, both weaponry and atomic energy. Several of his books have earned broad-based critical acclaim and advanced novel viewpoints. Despite affiliation with government and the nuclear industry, he is cited by the peace movement and parties who are highly critical of nuclear energy. Walker was a history instructor at the University of Maryland in the mid-seventies but was hired by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in June, 1979, working under the chief historian, George T. Mazuzan. Walker was able to write in a lucid manner applauded in popular science press. He also authored… Read More
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