When Books Went to War

 This is one of the most fascinating reads of mine in the last year or so:

When Books Went to War by by Molly Guptill Manning 

A couple of quotes:

When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry in their pockets and their rucksacks, in every theater of war. Comprising 1,200 different titles of every imaginable type, these paperbacks were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. 

Created in a time of shortages, these books were marvels of design. They came in two sizes: one to fit in a uniform’s shirt pocket, the other to fit in the pants. They were stapled, not glued, because of the lack of rubber and the fact that tropical insects found glue edible. And they were printed horizontally, not vertically, so that each page was shaped like a postcard and contained two narrow columns of print. This layout was deemed easier to read and less likely to waste precious paper.

Definitely worth a read, as perhaps wouldn't have had paperbacks today, if it hadn't been for this endeavor.

I listened the Audible audiobook, and it was well narrated.

A few resources:

When Books Went to War | Molly Guptill Manning (mollymanning.com) - the author's website

'When Books Went to War’ by Molly Guptill Manning - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Molly Guptill Manning on the pocket-sized books soldiers took to war : NPR's Book of the Day : NPR