The Best-Read Army in the World

In late 1943, small packages bound in sturdy brown paper began to arrive at American military outposts, each containing a set of ingenious pocket-sized books called the Armed Services Editions. Titled the Victory Book Campaign, this initiative was led by librarians, who garnered the support of individuals, businesses, civic organizations, and Eleanor Roosevelt. For war-weary, homesick men, these books–fiction, biographies, classics, sports tales, history books, poetry, compilations of short stories, books of humor–represented the greatest gift the military could give them. This ann+BD11otated catalogue includes posters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other contemporary documents that provide valuable context for how the written word not only increased morale during wartime but ultimately transformed American education and changed the book industry forever.