Bo Lindell’s History of Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radiological Protection

First book, ‘Pandora’s Box’, now available for free in English!

During his long and eventful life, Bo Lindell (former ICRP Chair, former UNSCEAR Chair, former head of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, etc etc) met most of the significant contributors to the 20th century development of radiation science and radiological protection and contributed personally to many of the crucial events.

His authoritative four-book series, The History of Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radiological Protection, resting on this first-hand experience and scientific accuracy and spiced with his vivid sense of humour, was published in Swedish between 1996 and 2011.

Thanks to significant efforts by the NSFS (Nordic Society for Radiation Protection), and generous additional funding by the NKS (Nordic Nuclear Safety Research); the five Nordic regulatory authorities; and the IRPA (International Radiation Protection Association), this massive work has been translated into English, and the first book in the series, Pandora’s Box’, is now available. You can obtain it in two ways:

1. To obtain a paperback version at an extremely favourable price covering only the direct costs of printing, go to www.amazon.com and enter ‘Lindell: Pandora’s Box’ in the search box. Or:
2. To download a PDF, completely cost-free, click here

The subsequent three parts (The Sword of Damocles; The Labours of Hercules; and The Toil of Sisyphus) are currently being typeset and will be available in the next few months. Please watch this space!

Second book, ‘The Sword of Damocles’, now available for free in English!

Bo Lindell’s authoritative four-book series, The History of Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radiological Protection, resting on this first-hand experience and scientific accuracy and spiced with his vivid sense of humour, has been translated into English as a joint effort by the Nordic Society for Radiation Protection (NSFS); the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research (NKS); the five Nordic regulatory authorities; and the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA).

The second book in the series, The Sword of Damocles, is now available. It is a thrilling, carefully thought-out and unique compilation from many sources, describing the fateful events from the discovery of nuclear fission until the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945 – and the huge concurrent developments in other radiation science.

You can obtain it in two ways:

• To obtain a paperback version at an extremely favourable price covering only the direct costs of printing, go to amazon.com (or any other Amazon site) and enter ‘Lindell: Sword of Damocles’ in the search box. Or:
• To download a PDF, completely cost-free, click here

The first book, Pandora’s Box, covers the history of radiation and protection from ancient Greece via the discovery of x rays and radioactivity and the early, often unbridled, proliferation of these new tools for medical and other purposes. You can get it here. The subsequent two parts (The Labours of Hercules and The Toil of Sisyphus) are currently being typeset and will be available in the next few months. Please watch this space!

Third book, ‘The Labours of Hercules’, now available for free in English!

Bo Lindell’s authoritative four-book series, The History of Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radiological Protection, resting on this first-hand experience and scientific accuracy and spiced with his vivid sense of humour, has been translated into English as a joint effort by the Nordic Society for Radiation Protection (NSFS); the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research (NKS); the five Nordic regulatory authorities; and the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA).

The third book in the series, The Labours of Hercules, is now available. This exciting and eminently readable book revolves around Rolf Sievert’s achievements and the intense international developments from 1950 to 1966: progress of nuclear power, nuclear weapons proliferation and global radioactive fallout, significant releases of radioactive materials due to nuclear accidents, vast improvements in radiation-related medical diagnostics and therapy, far-reaching scientific discoveries including the role and structure of DNA, all described in Bo Lindell’s personal narrative with many amusing and thought-provoking anecdotes.

You can obtain it in two ways:

• To obtain a paperback version at an extremely favourable price covering only the direct costs of printing, go to amazon.com (or any other Amazon site) and enter ‘Lindell Hercules’ in the search box. Or:
• To download a PDF, completely cost-free, click here

The first two books, Pandora’s Box and The Sword of Damocles, cover the history of radiation and protection from ancient Greece to the early use of x rays and radioactivity for medical and other purposes, and the development and first use of nuclear weapons. Both books have received rave reviews, e.g., in the Journal of Radiological Protection. The final part (The Toil of Sisyphus) is currently being typeset and will be available in the next few months. Please watch this space!

Fourth book, ‘The Toil of Sisyphus’, now available for free in English!

Bo Lindell’s authoritative four-book series, The History of Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radiological Protection, resting on this first-hand experience and scientific accuracy and spiced with his vivid sense of humour, has been translated into English as a joint effort by the Nordic Society for Radiation Protection (NSFS); the Nordic Nuclear Safety Research (NKS); the five Nordic regulatory authorities; and the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA).

The fourth and final book in the series, The Toil of Sisyphus, is now available. This fascinating and entertaining book is based on Lindell’s own central role in the international development of radiological protection. While the title alludes to the efforts of the nuclear power industry to gain public acceptance, the book covers all aspects of radiation and protection problems. Being a first-hand account, this book is formatted as chronological diary notes rather than the topical orientation of the earlier volumes. Studded with funny and sometimes dramatic anecdotes, it is very easy to read yet full of important information.

You can obtain it in two ways:

• To obtain a paperback version at an extremely favourable price covering only the direct costs of printing, go to amazon.com (or any other Amazon site) and enter ‘Lindell Sisyphus’ in the search box. Or:
• To download a PDF, completely cost-free, click here

The first two books, Pandora’s Box and The Sword of Damocles, cover the history of radiation and protection from ancient Greece to the early use of x rays and radioactivity for medical and other purposes, and the development and first use of nuclear weapons. The third book, The Labours of Hercules, focuses on Rolf Sievert and international developments such as progress of nuclear power; nuclear weapons and global fallout; early nuclear accidents; medical uses of radiation; and more. The books have received rave reviews, e.g., in the Journal of Radiological Protection.