Tomoko Nakamura, an associate professor at Hiroshima International University, said the 206-page book is believed to be the first of its kind in terms of length and quality.

"Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Books Available in English" contains information on 446 English publications printed after 1945, including not only novels and memoirs but also photographic records and journalistic works, along with a review of each work.

"It was time-consuming to find these publications, but what was more difficult was to gain access to them and write a review," said the 57-year-old scholar, who teaches English at the university.

"My policy was to obtain all books which seemed to be relevant for the project," she said, adding that the emergence of the Internet was a great help in recent years.

Nakamura mainly borrowed books from libraries. But she chuckled that some of the books she bought had to be discarded because they did not have anything to do with the 1945 blast, even though they contained the word Hiroshima in the title.

A synopsis of each publication is provided in English and Japanese in the first section of the book, while the second section traces the history of books on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nakamura said that recently publications by doctors and scientists stand out, particularly following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.

"There has been an increasing demand for the writings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki doctors, with their knowledge and experience of radiation sickness gained over 58 years of treating atomic bomb survivors," she said.

Of the 446 books, 283 books are by Japanese authors.

To provide a broader perspective, Nakamura said she also included books that justify the use of atomic bombs.

Her lifework started about 20 years ago. That was when she discovered that there was no relevant guide to A-bomb literature available in English.

Ever since, encouraged by colleagues and friends, the Hiroshima native has made every effort to look out for English books about the bombing of the two cities, hoping that her work will someday become a useful gift for future generations.

"Even if I manage to sell all the 500 books I originally decided to print, it will only cover half my publishing costs," she said.

But Nakamura grinned, saying, "That's okay. For me, having people using my book to learn about the threat of nuclear arms is more important."

"I am hoping to update the book two years from now on the 60th anniversary of the two bombings," she said, adding that she also wants to have the book translated into different languages with the help of university students.

Nakamura's book, which costs 2,000 yen, can be purchased through her Web site, http://homepage2.nifty.com/tomokonet/