This occasional paper is an edited version of a briefing book that was designed by members of Harvard University's Avoiding Nuclear War Project and distributed among newly appointed officials in the Bush administration. Originally designed to help combat the lack of institutional memory on nuclear issues in the American government, these fourteen chapters also provide an interesting overview of these issues for a broader audience. A Primer for the Nuclear Age addresses the danger, effects, development, strategy, and force structure of nuclear weapons as well as assessing the influence of domestic and international politics on nuclear weapons policy. Co-published with the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University.