Description
The first edition, first printing of Now It Can Be Told: The Story Of The Manhattan Project, inscribed by Gen. Leslie Groves to Daniel E. Noble of the Motorola Corporation. Noble was responsible for the development of portable FM radio communication during World War II.
Octavo, xiv, 464pp, [2]. Black cloth, title stamped in gilt on the spine. Stated “First Edition,” with the first printing publication code “B-M” on the copyright page. This copy appears unread. Math calculations in the recipient’s hand on the front pastedown, obscured by the jacket flap. In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $6.95 on the front flap, light sunning to the spine, the recipient’s name in black pen on the front cover, light shelf wear, a near fine example.
This copy is inscribed by the author to Daniel E. Noble of Motorola. The two men served together on an advisory committee for the Investors Management Company in 1960.
The inscription on the half title reads: “With best wishes to Dan Noble, an associate for many years in a most erudite group. Leslie R. Groves.”
Lt. Gen. Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (1896-1970) was the director of the Manhattan Project during World War II. A West Point graduate of 1918, Groves initially worked on military construction projects, including the Pentagon, before being appointed in 1942 to oversee the development of the atomic bomb. He managed the project’s vast industrial, scientific, and logistical operations, coordinating work at sites such as Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford, and worked closely with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Groves was portrayed by Matt Damon in the 2023 film, Oppenheimer, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
