Armed Services Edition books , 1943-1946

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Armed Services Editions, Inc.; Council on Books in Wartime
Title
Armed Services Edition books
Dates
1943-1946 (inclusive)
Quantity
6 linear feet, (4 containers )  :  3 record storage boxes, 1 flat box
Collection Number
Coll 481
Summary
Armed Service Edition books (ASEs) were produced during World War II by the Council on Books in Wartime. The majority of the collection includes small, paperback copies of Armed Services Edition books and periodicals published between 1943-1946.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Armed Service Edition books (ASEs) were produced during World War II by the Council on Books in Wartime. ASEs were compact versions of books in a variety of genres distributed freely for use by members of the military for entertainment and education. They were inexpensively produced, printed in multiples on magazine and digest printers, and intended to be ephemeral. Due to the type of printing press used, the books were most often bound on the short side of the text block, rather than a long side binding more commonly used for paperbacks. A full collection of all 1,322 titles of the series is held by the Library of Congress.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The majority of the collection includes small, paperback copies of Armed Services Edition books. The collection also includes a notable example of some uncut ASEs. This artifact demonstrates the economical printing method employed for the series, where 4 books are printed, stapled, and bound as a single unit, but this item never received the final trim to separate the individual books.

The collection also includes some periodicals printed and distributed specifically to members of the United States military during WWII, such as the Newsweek Pony Edition. These periodicals also demonstrate a more compact size and typographic layout compared to their correlative original publication, like the ASEs. Finally, the collection contains some photocopies and clippings of historical information and articles on the Armed Services Edition books.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Literature--Collections
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945--Literature and the war