Samuel Glasstone

Who was Samuel Glasstone?

Samuel Glasstone authored 40 popular textbooks on physical chemistry, reaction rates, nuclear weapons effects, nuclear reactor engineering, Mars, space sciences, the environmental effects of nuclear energy and nuclear testing. One reviewer describe Glasstone as "perhaps one of the best technical writers of the last century."

Samuel Glasstone was born on May 3, 1897. He received two doctorates, in 1922 and 1926, in chemistry at London University.

Perhaps his best known book, co-authored with Philip J. Dolan, was The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, which came out in three editions between 1950 and 1977. The book, published by the US government, is considered one of the most authoritative texts on the effects of nuclear explosions. One of his other popular books was The Sourcebook on Atomic Energy, published in 1950, and translated in many countries.