Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. Beyond the Atom by John Cox was first published in 1913. It offers a contemporaneous look at the rapid advances occurring in the study of radioactivity during the first decade of the twentieth century.