When Books Went to War

<p><strong><em>NEW YORK TIMES</em> BESTSELLER<br /><br />"Heartwarming." -- <em>New York Times</em><br /><br />"Whether or not you're a book lover you'll be moved." -- <em>Entertainment Weekly</em><br /><br />"A readable accessible addition to World War II literature [and] a book that will be enjoyed by lovers of books about books." -- <em>Boston Globe</em><br /><br />"Four stars [out of four] . . . A cultural history that does much to explain modern America." -- </strong><em><strong>USA Today</strong></em><br /><br />When America entered World War II in 1941 we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. 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 rucksacks in every theater of war. These Armed Services Editions 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 helped rescue <em>The Great Gatsby</em> from obscurity and made Betty Smith author of <em>A Tree Grows in Brooklyn </em> into a national icon. <em>When Books Went to War </em>is the inspiring story of the Armed Services Editions and a treasure for history buffs and book lovers alike.<br /><br /><strong>"A thoroughly engaging enlightening and often uplifting account . . . I was enthralled and moved." -- Tim O'Brien author of <em>The Things They Carried</em></strong></p><p> </p>