Chernobyl and Nuclear Power in the USSR provided the first detailed account of the Soviet nuclear power industry and of the nature, impact and consequences of the Chernobyl (Chornobyl) disaster of 28 April 1986. Marples places the Chornobyl accident within the context of Soviet nuclear development. He includes a diary, that covers Soviet reporting during the first two weeks after the accident; Soviet energy policy; East European and Soviet nuclear development in the 1980s; safety issues; and an account of the immediate aftermath of the disaster and the clean-up operation.

Co-published with the Macmillan Press, London. See Industry, Dolyna oil field, and Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine.