The Sword and Laser discussion

Hello,
I hope I can get some suggestions to help me with my thesis for my M.A. in History. I know that this is a little off topic because this reading isn't for pleasure (even thought I enjoy it) but I hope the Sword and Laser community can help me. I'm currently getting reading for my Comprehensive Exams, but once I finish I would like to dive into research for my thesis. This will consist of research into the science fiction and fantasy genre during the 1950s, specifically how the genres treated the atomic bomb. I've already examined film (about 60 creature features) and comic books, but I'm lacking in novels. The requirements for these books are that they were published during the Postwar period, 1945-1959, and available in the United States during that time. Also the work should reference, either explicitly or in a veiled manner, atomic technology. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, and will alleviate the burden on a poor grad student.
Thank you so much,
Bethany

On the Beach by Nevil Shute is the first one that popped into my head. I'll try to think of others.

"Rocket Ship Galileo" by Robert Heinlein. Published in 1947

Are you only interested in novels or also short stories? I feel like it was everywhere in SF from that period but hmm ...

Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller - a post-nuclear war novel (the book was published in 1960 so 1 year outside your date range but the stories from which he adapted it were published in the 50s)

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov -- set in a distant future where Earth still bears the radioactive scars of nuclear war but humanity doesn't remember that it started on Earth

The Long Watch by Robert Heinlein -- a short story but very much about atomic bombs.

Uller Uprising by H Beam Piper - an oddly pragmatic reference to nuclear bombs (bonus that it's on Project Gutenberg)

My initial thought was Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut, but that is 1963, so probably too late for you to use.

Level 7, 1959. VERY depressing, but absolutely spot on for what you're after.

Star man's son, 2250 A.D (1952) by Andre Norton.

Two centuries after an atomic war on Earth, a silver-haired mutant sets out on a dangerous search for a lost city of the ruined civilization

Ask your university librarian. They should be able to help.

A Canticle for Leibowitz is what you want.

The Long Tomorrow takes place in a post-nuclear holocaust future where civilization has retreated into technophobic, Mennonite-like tribes, and a young man discovers a hidden cult secretly honoring and reviving the teachings of science.

David wrote: "Star man's son, 2250 A.D (1952) by Andre Norton."

I never read this one but any book by Andre Norton is worth reading at least once.

Alas Babylon by Pat Frank is pretty much spot on re your brief.

Earth Abides

I don't Earth Abides fits. Civilzation is wiped out by a disease, not the bomb. It's a great example of Cold War fiction though.

In addition to the books already mentioned, I would add Alas, Babylon.

Can anyone tell me where to get my hands on the Andre Norton? That was my favorite book in grade school. It probably set me on the path of post-apocalypse addiction.

I would look at pulp magazines as well. While books like Alas, Babylon(which cannot be recommended enough), and On the Beach were interesting intellectual exercises, I've always felt the pulps were more plugged into the cultural zeitgeist of the late 40's and early 50's.

Of particular note, a story in Astounding, "Deadline"(1944), came so close to describing how to build an atomic bomb that the FBI investigated the author. Freinds of the author were also investigated--including Heinlein, Campbell, and Asimov.

From a critical ground and reference point, you might want to check out "The Way to Ground Zero: The Atomic Bomb in American Science Fiction."

Some novels that might be interesting are:
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (1959)
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (1955) Doesn't overtly talk nuclear war or nuclear holocaust, but it does imply it.
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham (1957) might also be worth looking at to a certain extent.
If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth (1951) an Arthur C Clarke short story.

That's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Thank you all. I'm getting really excited about my reading list for this summer. And I will make sure to check into the pulps, but I'm a bit weary of being able to track them down. Does anyone know if there is a digitized resource of the pulps or an archive known for their collection? I only ask because this is how I solved the problem of finding well preserved comic books from the period. But otherwise I'm so excited to dive in, thank you again.
-Bethany

Unfortunately most pulps went into copyright renewal after the mid 30s. After that, It gets difficult to find issues, but many of the stories are reprinted elsewhere. Bibliographies are readily available on the internet.

Your best bet are anthologies of 1950's science fiction. I also want to say that there's at least one anthology dealing with atomic science fiction stories from that period. However, a quick internet search came up with nothing.

I was going to suggest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind...
By Arthur C Clark but that seems to be 1970s.