Private company
Council on Books in Wartime
American non-profit organization (1942–1946)
The Council on Books in Wartime (1942–1946) was an American non-profit organization founded by booksellers, publishers, librarians, authors, and others in the spring of 1942 to channel the use of books as "weapons in the war of ideas" (the council's motto).2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
Overview
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The Council on Books in Wartime (1942–1946) was an American non-profit organization founded by booksellers, publishers, librarians, authors, and others in the spring of 1942 to channel the use of books as "weapons in the war of ideas" (the council's motto). It promoted the use of books to influence the thinking of the American people regarding World War II, to build and maintain the will to win, to expose the true nature of the enemy, to disseminate technical information, to provide relaxation and inspiration, and to clarify war aims and problems of peace.2
Products and brands
In the spring of 1943, the Council launched the effort for which it would become best known, the Armed Services Editions. By the time the program ended in 1947, it had printed 122,951,031 books, selling them to the government at an average cost of just over six cents a volume. The Armed Services Editions brought high-end books to a mass audience, and helped popularize the emerging paperback format. One of the most popular ASE books was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) by Betty Smith, and the ASE's distribution of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby helped revive interest in the book. In 1944, the council launched Oversees Editions, Inc, a subsidiary aimed at distributing American books to civilian populations abroad, to promote a positive view of American culture.
From Wikipedia’s article on Council on Books in Wartime, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
Timeline
- 1942Founded Founded1
Links
- WikipediaCouncil on Books in Wartime
- WikidataQ5176556
Sources
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