History books

Since its founding in 1954, CERN has placed strong emphasis on documenting its history. In its early years, documentation was primarily internal. The establishment of the Archives in 1981 marked a major step toward systematic preservation. In 1982 CERN began actively engaging with historians of science, who produced the reports Studies in CERN History and later the three-volumes book History of CERN. Oral history projects were launched to capture firsthand accounts from researchers, engineers, and staff, ensuring that tacit knowledge and personal experiences were not lost. Exhibitions, anniversary publications, and collaborations with historians have further contributed to a structured narrative of CERN’s development.

General

• History of CERN
  • This is a three-volumes scholarly history of CERN, edited by John Krige et al. and published by North-Holland between 1987 and 1996. The series documents the scientific, institutional, and political development of CERN from its founding in the early Cold War period through the late 20th century. It is considered one of the most authoritative historical accounts of modern particle physics and large-scale international scientific collaboration.

• Triology to celebrate CERN's 60th anniversary.
  • The books are three separate works, each focused on a specific topic: theory, experiments, and technology. It was the first time that books, published by third party publishers, covering CERN history were published as open access. The three books are titled:
    • The standard theory of particle physics: essays to celebrate CERN's 60th anniversary
    • 60 years of CERN experiments and discoveries
    • Technology meets research: 60 years of CERN technology

• Infinitely CERN: memories of fifty years of research
  • This is a commemorative volume published in 2004 by CERN in collaboration with Editions Suzanne Hurter. The book marks CERN’s 50th anniversary (1954–2004) and presents a human-centered account of the laboratory’s history. The book was published in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Proton Synchrotron

• The PS scrap book: 1956-1960
  • A photo album of the early PS days presented to John Adams on his leaving CERN in 1961.

Large Electron-Positron Collider

• LEP - The lord of the collider rings at CERN 1980-2000
  • The book is written by Herwig Schopper, the director-general of CERN during the crucial period of the construction of LEP. Schopper recounts vividly the convoluted decision-making and technical implementation processes—the tunnel alone being a highly challenging geo- and civil engineering project—and the subsequent extremely fruitful period of scientific research. Finally he describes the difficult decision to close down LEP, at a time when the discovery of the Higgs boson seemed within reach.

ALEPH Experiment

• The ALEPH "experience" : 25 years of memories

Large Hadron Collider

• The Large Hadron Collider : a marvel of technology
  • The book is edited by Lyn Evans who was involved the LHC planning as of 1994 and served as the LHC project leader until 2008.

ATLAS experiment

• ATLAS: a 25-year insider story of the LHC experiment