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When books went to war : the stories that helped us win World War II  Cover Image Book Book

When books went to war : the stories that helped us win World War II / Molly Guptill Manning.

Summary:

Chronicles the joint effort of the U.S. government, the publishing industry, and the nation's librarians to boost troop morale during World War II by shipping more than one hundred million books to the front lines for soldiers to read during what little downtime they had.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780544535022 (hardcover) :
  • ISBN: 9780544570405 (paperback)
  • Physical Description: xv, 267 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm
  • Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2014]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subject: American literature > 20th century > History and criticism.
Books and reading > United States > History > 20th century.
Publishers and publishing > United States > History > 20th century.
War in literature.
World War, 1939-1945 > United States > Literature and the war.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Cookstown Branch 028.90973 Man 31681002494979 NONFIC Available -

  • Baker & Taylor
    Chronicles the joint effort of the U.S. government, the publishing industry and the nation's librarians to boost troop morale during World War II by shipping 120 million books to the front lines for soldiers to read during what little downtime they had. 35,000 first printing.
  • Houghton
    While the Nazis were burning hundreds of millions of books across Europe, America printed and shipped 140 million books to its troops. The story of how the books were received, how they connected soldiers with authors, and how an army of librarians and publishers lifted spirits and built a new democratic audience of readers is as inspiring today as it was then.
  • Houghton

    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. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy; in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific; in field hospitals; and on long bombing flights. They wrote to the authors, many of whom responded to every letter. They helped rescue The Great Gatsby from obscurity. They made Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, into a national icon. When Books Went to War is an inspiring story for history buffs and book lovers alike.

  • Houghton

    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. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy; in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific; in field hospitals; and on long bombing flights. They wrote to the authors, many of whom responded to every letter. They helped rescue The Great Gatsby from obscurity. They made Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, into a national icon. When Books Went to War is an inspiring story for history buffs and book lovers alike.

  • Houghton
    While the Nazis were burning hundreds of millions of books across Europe, America printed and shipped 140 million books to its troops. The story of how the books were received, how they connected soldiers with authors, and how an army of librarians and publishers lifted spirits and built a new democratic audience of readers is as inspiring today as it was then.

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