[tedjdziuba]

"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-25th-Anniversary/dp... is a fantastic book for anybody in a technical field. It describes in precise detail how a team of scientists, materials engineers, and government came together to make possible something that started as theoretical physics.

J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie Groves were a fascinating team, Oppenheimer being a physicist and Groves an Army general.

A must for anyone in technical management.

[lobster_johnson]

Its sequel, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb [1] is also great. It deals with Edward Teller's hydrogen bomb, the nuclear spies (Fuchs, the Rosenbergs, etc.), the beginning of the cold war, Oppenheimer's ambitious attempts at atomic regulation, and his subsequent trial. TMAB stands out, however; it is superb in its panoramic, often lyrical depiction of science and philosophy coming together in a broad cast of scientists. Much of Dark Sun is about spies, cops and military figures, and its subject matter is somewhat more prosaic.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sun-Making-Hydrogen-Bomb/dp/06848...