Books on the Front Line

Imagine the book on your nightstand and the comfort it offers as you crawl into bed after a difficult day. Recall your own experience and how reading opened a doorway of escape from stress. Now, imagine a time in your life when your comforts are denied you, no family, no home, nothing familiar surrounds you, and no books. I'm not addressing Hitler's war on books and ideas that did not align with his philosophy for the perfect society. What I'm describing is the plight of the soldier until The American Library Association with the help of the government initiated a program in 1941 to distribute books to the armed forces.

The idea was excellent and the response from the public to donate books was strong, but execution became impractical. Hard back books were too heavy. Donations were often rejected books that had little appeal or were inappropriate for the average soldier. In September of 1942, a group of publishers responded to the challenge by joining forces to meet the need. Paperbacks, light and small enough to be carried in a soldier's backpack, were published and distributed. They became the Armed Forces Editions of popular books of the time. Westerns, literary classics, and poetry became available for those in service.

The production of paperback books required some modification on the part of publishers who were more accustomed to hardbacks but it proved an economic benefit. The public could afford them and the publisher found a thriving new market. One outstanding example was F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby which became a best seller after the war, a success it had not enjoyed on first release. Trade books were born.

One hundred forty million books were dispersed throughout the armed services. When one considers that sixteen million men and women served in that time, the impact on those returning cannot be underestimated. Combined with the passage of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the GI Bill, the country gained a more literate middle class.

Ms. Manning's When Books Went to War is a well-researched book filled with insights into decisions that made a profound effect on the publishing industry and our American society.

If you're interested in Armed Services Editions, they can be found on eBay.

Have you ever seen held one of these editions in your hands?