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Cover of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

Book · Historical fiction

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

by Richard Rhodes

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
1,406
Reading time
≈ 25 h 30 min
Checkpoints
39
Genre
Historical
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Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read The Making of the Atomic Bomb?

At 1,406 pages, The Making of the Atomic Bomb is a doorstopper. Expect about 25 hours 30 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 51 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 20 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day51 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)20 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 39 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 36
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 72
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 108
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 144
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 180
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 216
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 252
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 288
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 324
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 361
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 397
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 433
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 469
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 505
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 541
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 577
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 613
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 649
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 685
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 721
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 757
  22. Checkpoint 22, page 793
  23. Checkpoint 23, page 829
  24. Checkpoint 24, page 865
  25. Checkpoint 25, page 901
  26. Checkpoint 26, page 937
  27. Checkpoint 27, page 973
  28. Checkpoint 28, page 1009
  29. Checkpoint 29, page 1045
  30. Checkpoint 30, page 1082
  31. Checkpoint 31, page 1118
  32. Checkpoint 32, page 1154
  33. Checkpoint 33, page 1190
  34. Checkpoint 34, page 1226
  35. Checkpoint 35, page 1262
  36. Checkpoint 36, page 1298
  37. Checkpoint 37, page 1334
  38. Checkpoint 38, page 1370
  39. Checkpoint 39, page 1406

In Vread, The Making of the Atomic Bomb is split into 39 checkpoints, one every 36 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 39 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/39pp. 1–36

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from The Making of the Atomic Bomb: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is The Making of the Atomic Bomb?
The edition listed on Vread has 1,406 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read The Making of the Atomic Bomb?
About 25 hours 30 minutes of reading, or 51 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on The Making of the Atomic Bomb?
Yes: the Vread app has 39 reading questions on The Making of the Atomic Bomb, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of The Making of the Atomic Bomb?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

Read The Making of the Atomic Bomb with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).