Today we’re talking about Armed Service Editions: paperback books designed to be sent overseas to American troops during World War II. Edited and printed by the non-profit Council on Books in Wartime, they were small, portable volumes with oblong silhouettes that could easily fit into a uniform pocket. Complete and surprisingly uncensored novels by authors like Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were a hit with the armed services—so much so that it’s hard for collectors to find copies in good condition today. In addition to improving morale, Armed Service Editions helped lay the groundwork for the paperback publishing boom of the 1950s, which brought inexpensive, conveniently-sized literature to a broad audience, transforming reading habits around the world.
Brattlecast #150 - Antiques Roadshow Memories
In this episode, Ken talks about some especially notable TV appraisals from his years on Antiques Roadshow. The highlights include a Civil War letter with a surprising twist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, and one item that… actually didn’t work out so well. The show is currently in the midst of its 27th season; you can catch new episodes Monday nights on PBS, or watch online here: www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow.
Brattlecast #83 - New Arrivals
Today we’ll be discussing some exciting new arrivals at the shop, as well as some possible future arrivals on the horizon. There’s an inscription from Henry Thoreau to his sister in an otherwise unremarkable volume of poetry, a first edition of The Journals of Lewis and Clark, with its rare map intact, and (hopefully, maybe!) a first edition of Catcher in the Rye. Ken also recounts some of the small daily pleasures of his working life: the undiminished thrill of handling historical documents, the fun of training new employees and reuniting with former employees from decades past, and the adventure of making an appointment to look at books in a house featuring odors, hoarding, and darkness.
Brattlecast #53 - Objectionable Material
The past is a nightmare, we can’t erase it. It’s important to preserve historical documents, to make them available, and to let them teach us the terrible lessons of history. But, as a bookseller, what do you do when the contents of these documents are truly vile? Is it ethical to make a profit by selling a photograph of the victims of Nazi concentration camps? Or to keep a book on bomb making in circulation? And should you eschew the controversial novels of today when they tend to become the classics of tomorrow? Join us for an exploration of these thorny issues on this week’s #brattlecast.
