Overview

The history of biological weapons (BW), chemical weapons (CW), and nuclear weapons is complicated. It can be disturbing, tragic, and occasionally encouraging. It is rarely amusing, although the names selected for certain weapons suggest a casualness toward the consequences of their use: Atomic Annie, Blue Peacock, Dew of Death, Fat Man, Flying cow, George, Gilda, Helen of Bikini, Hurricane, Katie, Little Boy, Lulu, Mike, Red Beard, Sewer Pipe, Squirt. Use of BW and CW in warfare has produced mixed results in terms of effecting the outcome of a battle or campaign; despite this mixed record, both weapon types have attracted intense interest and strong advocacy for further use. The sole experience with use of nuclear weapons in warfare is viewed as hastening surrender by Japan, created competition among nations to develop more such weapons, and influenced efforts to ban any use or even stockpiling of such weapons. Each of these three weapon types has its own peculiar history, as recounted in this dictionary. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on terms related to NBC warfare, ranging from basic descriptions of substances used to details on incidents and episodes where NBC weapons were used, historical events, persons important to NBC warfare, countries where such weapons have been developed or used, and international treaties and treaty-related organizations.

Full Product Details

9781538106839

Table of Contents

Reviews

The history and future of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare is both complicated and troubling. Garrett, formerly the FBI's senior scientist for weapons of mass destruction, revisits the topic in this second edition, significantly broadening its scope from the first (CH, Jan'08, 45-2385). The updated dictionary is 113 pages longer and contains expanded, updated entries and several new topics. Various weapons, their history and development, and attempts to control their use and proliferation are categorized through a chronology, an extensive bibliography, a lengthened acronyms and abbreviations list, and over 700 A-Z entries. Updates include new entries on Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian intelligence officer who died in 2006 of polonium-210 poisoning in a London hospital; microbial forensics, an expanding field used to analyze bioterrorism incidents; and the Vigo Plant, an army instillation in Vigo, IN, that produced biological weapons in the 1940s.... This second edition is an improvement over the original volume and provides an accessible resource for interested readers. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and general readers. * CHOICE * Expanded by nearly 70 pages, this important addition to the publishers' Historical Dictionaries of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest is both timely and more comprehensive than the first edition published 10 years ago. The only volume in the series not targeting a specific war or military action, the second edition updates entries in light of 10 years of scientific developments, both describing weapons and their uses and how such weapons are countered. A list of acronyms and abbreviations, a brief chronology, and an introduction precede the 500 plus alphabetical entries ranging from a paragraph to two to three pages. The who, what, and where are covered, and see and see also references are interspersed throughout the volume. Bold print is utilized for cross-references. Chemical names are included and the volume is not burdened with excessive statistics. An extensive bibliography includes sections for historical and technical works. Handy as a ready reference tool, the volume will interest students and specialists.... [T]he volume is a must purchase for larger reference collections. * American Reference Books Annual *

Expanded by nearly 70 pages, this important addition to the publishers' Historical Dictionaries of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest is both timely and more comprehensive than the first edition published 10 years ago. The only volume in the series not targeting a specific war or military action, the second edition updates entries in light of 10 years of scientific developments, both describing weapons and their uses and how such weapons are countered. A list of acronyms and abbreviations, a brief chronology, and an introduction precede the 500 plus alphabetical entries ranging from a paragraph to two to three pages. The who, what, and where are covered, and see and see also references are interspersed throughout the volume. Bold print is utilized for cross-references. Chemical names are included and the volume is not burdened with excessive statistics. An extensive bibliography includes sections for historical and technical works. Handy as a ready reference tool, the volume will interest students and specialists.... [T]he volume is a must purchase for larger reference collections. * American Reference Books Annual *

Author Information

Benjamin C. Garrett retired in 2015 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he served in the Laboratory Division, Quantico, Virginia, as the Senior Scientist for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Prior to joining the FBI, he served with the U.S. Army Chemical Corps (1975-78) and spent two decades working on defense, environmental, and intelligence programs.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available