“I do not remember any case in my lifetime in science when so many experts have differed for such a long time on such relatively simple and inexpensive experiments.” — Edward Teller. Oct. 16, 1989

Edward Teller (1908-2003), the father of the hydrogen bomb, said those profound words only six months after the announcement of the excess-heat discovery by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, igniting the biggest controversy in modern science.

Readers who are interested in the most accurate and complete accounts of this history and science will enjoy Steven B. Krivit's Explorations in Nuclear Research three-book series (Hacking the Atom, Fusion Fiasco, Lost History) Collectively, they describe the emergence of a new field of science, one that bridges chemistry and physics.

The books give readers an understanding of low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) research and its history and provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the players and personalities involved. The books present the results of in-depth historical research and draw on formerly inaccessible archives to describe what occurred in the research that has been mistakenly called "cold fusion."

Hacking the Atom: Explorations in Nuclear Research, Vol. 1 (Amazon link)
Making sense of the new science of low-energy nuclear reactions (1990-2015)

Hacking the Atom, written for scientists and non-scientists alike, covers the period from 1990 to 2015 and explains how changes to atomic nuclei can occur with low-energy methods. The book reveals the hidden story of how the science initially and erroneously called "cold fusion" continued to progress slowly but incrementally after its near-death in 1989. The book shows that 100 years of chemistry and physics is not wrong but is incomplete and that there is something new and exciting in the physical sciences.

Fusion Fiasco: Explorations in Nuclear Research, Vol. 2 (Amazon link)
The definitive historical account of the "cold fusion" conflict (1989-1990)

Fusion Fiasco, written for scientists and non-scientists alike, covers the period from 1989 to 1990, and tells the most accurate and complete story of the 1989 to 1990 "cold fusion" conflict. Relying heavily on archival records, the book documents one of the most divisive scientific controversies in recent history. The book explains why credible experimental LENR research emerged from the erroneous idea of room-temperature fusion, as claimed by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons at the University of Utah.

Lost History: Explorations in Nuclear Research, Vol. 3 (Amazon link)
The forgotten story of chemically induced nuclear transmutations (1912-1927)

Lost History, written for scientists and science historians, covers the period from 1912 to 1927, and explores the story of forgotten transmutation research, a precursor to modern low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) research. The book tells the story of century-old research that has been absent from the scientific dialogue for a hundred years — research that is surprisingly similar to events in the modern era.

"An amazing story and enlightening book"

I just finished devouring Fusion Fiasco. What a great story this is. I'm so glad Krivit persevered in the face of all that intransigence and denial. This book brought back a swarm of memories.

In March 1989, I was a documentary film producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I had been assigned to cover the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Moments before I was to get on a plane to go to Alaska, my boss told me instead to go down to Utah. What could be a bigger story than that, I wondered? I got to the University of Utah too late for the infamous press conference but chased after Stanley Pons after he had given a lecture in Indianapolis. I booked myself into the seat beside him on the flight home to Salt Lake City. We talked all night on the red-eye flight, drinking Jack Daniels, and I told him this: "If you guys think you're right, if you sincerely believe that someday you will be vindicated, then think of us (the CBC crew) as the document of record, the inside story of what happened during the early days."

For the next several years, we followed the story as best we could and filmed Pons and Martin Fleischmann in the U.S. and later, when they moved to France. But I never knew the end of the story – until Krivit wrote it.

I suffered a knowledge deficit in terms of physics and chemistry and was therefore (like most of the media) forced to take what people said at face value. In the chaos of daily news, there is no team of science advisors standing by to explain things. But even if there had been, this was all (as Krivit so vividly points out) new science, so even the wise old hands would not necessarily have been able to tell fact from supposition. Although I was there for much of the craziness Krivit describes, all I could see at the time were surface effects (pun intended). I never knew the background intrigue.

Krivit's investigation confirms that the behavior of the scientists whom the Department of Energy asked to provide an objective review was unprofessional and dishonorable. I always suspected as much, but Krivit's research told me all kinds of things I never had a chance to verify in the frenzy of the times. In fact, it was worse than I thought. I am so happy see that that Krivit stuck with this amazing story. He certainly pulled no punches, which I'm glad to see. It is an enlightening book. I can't wait to read the next installment.

- Jerry Thompson, Raincoast Storylines Ltd. and author of Cascadia's Fault (2012)