Oliphant: The Australian Genius Who Developed Radar and Showed Oppenheimer How to Build the Bomb
Roland Perry
Jan 2026 · Bolinda · Narrated by James Saunders
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Audiobook
8 hr 56 min
Unabridged
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on January 1, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this audiobook
6 August 1945. The United States launches the world's first nuclear attack on Japan. J. Robert Oppenheimer will be remembered as the father of the bomb, but it was Australian physicist Sir Mark Oliphant and his lab who discovered how it could be built. Faced with Hitler's determination to acquire atomic weapons, Oliphant shared his secret research with Oppenheimer – a decision both would come to regret. Oliphant's brilliance was not limited to atomic science, he was also central to the development of radar, which saved Britain from Nazi invasion. After the war, Oliphant's push against US nuclear dominance drew suspicion from the CIA. Based on his interviews with Oliphant, bestselling author Perry traces his life from his humble beginnings in Adelaide, his early triumphs alongside Sir Ernest Rutherford, and his breakthrough work on radar and the Manhattan Project, through to his key role in establishing the Australian National University and his controversial governorship of South Australia. Oliphant is a story of espionage, conflict, science and conscience, and a true Australian genius.
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About the author
Roland Perry OAM is one of Australia's best-known authors whose books have sold more than two million copies. He has published 40 books, many of them bestsellers, including Bill the Bastard, Horrie the War Dog, The Australian Light Horse, The Changi Brownlow, Monash and Chauvel and Anzac Sniper.
James is an award-winning actor who has performed on stages and screens throughout Australia, Europe and the Americas. His work in film and TV includes Animal Kingdom, The Turning, Offspring, Winners and Losers, The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. James has also worked across radio, documentary and drama, spanning 17 years and counting.
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