Preface to the 3rd Edition
“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.” Edward P. Morgan
I have received many comments (positive and negative) about my ideas and their presentation. There was some criticism of my writing ability by some critics. Others merely found the ideas boring and mundane. A vast majority of the critics were positive and the reader comments were overwhelmingly positive (an average of 4.8 stars out of 5 on Amazon).
I added a chapter on the melt throughs of the Japanese nuclear reactors about a year ago. I also supplemented each chapter with references. Wherever additional recent developments were interesting, I wrote some relevant postscripts to each chapter. An added touch is the inclusion of some of my favorite quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
I want to thank all the readers and critics whose insightful comments have made me think hard about how to improve the book and add ideas.
April 3, 2012