Elementary Nuclear Theory: Second Edition

This 2nd edition comes 50 years after the 1st edition. Much of the material appears unchanged. Bethe died only last year [2005]. But in 1956, he was already one of the giants in physics due to his massive contributions to the study of the nucleus. The book lacks the rich illustrations typical of current textbooks. But if you can ignore that, then it provides for a definitive education in our understanding of the nucleus. It is suitable for an undergrad reader who has done an earlier course in quantum mechanics. By the very nature of nuclear interactions, most of the discussion is outside the realm of classical mechanics, and you do need that quantum background.