'Review from previous edition This book is likely to become the definitive history of the development of Bohr's atomic model. Written by an experienced historian of science, it surveys the full breadth of the literature on its history and implications in physics, chemistry, astrophysics and far beyond, including excerpts from many still unpublished sources such as letters or manuscripts.'Klaus Hentschel, Professor and Director of the History Department, Stuttgart University'This compelling biography of a scientific theory, that of the Bohr atom, is unprecedented and unmatched in depth and breadth. It explores the development of the revolutionary Bohr atom from its birth in 1913 and extensions during the next five years to its supersession by modern quantum mechanics in the mid 1920s, treating at each stage its successes and failures and its positive and negative receptions in Europe and the United States. It is unique inemphasizing and documenting that Bohr conceived his theory as a comprehensive theory of the constitution of matter, one that applied to both atoms and molecules, that is, to the domains of both physics and chemistry, whose practitioners responded to it in profoundly different ways. We have here what promises to be the definitive history of the Bohr theory of the atom.'Roger H. Stuewer, History of Science and Technology, University of Minnesota'Around the world, the Bohr model of the atom is visually synonymous with "science.

" Despite its universality, the Bohr atom has waited a hundred years for Kragh's thorough study. Usually exiled to introductory chapters in histories of quantum mechanics, this instantly recognizable model has long needed a focused investigation. Kragh examines Bohr's atom on its own terms, not merely as a stepping-stone to later quantum theory. In this book we have aremarkable narrative of the genesis, application, reception, and use of one of the pivotal theories of modern physics.'Matthew Stanley, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York University.