Book reviews

This well-written history of peaceful uses of nuclear energy brings a fresh perspective to the now-familiar, but still-sensitive subject. The authors´ goal is to explain — in terms chiefly of economic and social factors — why the growth of nuclear power has “come to a virtual halt.” Surprisingly, this attempt is almost free of the usual pro-or-con postures that have so polarized this field. The dispassionate, almost reportorial, style is very successful in presenting an “impartial” history, albeit with a distinctive economic flavor. Its technical level is general so that few demands are made on the reader. The discussion benefits from the economics background of both authors as well as the technical background of Derian who also has degrees in engineering and physics. For the devotee there are 22 pages of notes, but they are collected at the end to ease the flow of the text. A reasonably good index is also included.