Romance Fiction Published as Armed Services Editions in World War II

By Celine Wang

Introduction

This industry report will examine romance fiction novels published and distributed to American troops as Armed Services Editions (ASE) during World War II from 1943-1947. The distribution of romance fiction as ASE provided exposure to romance fiction to men in America and was met with strong positive reception amongst troops. The publishing of romance fiction as Armed Services Editions was integral to ensuring sought-after books were sent to troops despite negative pushback. I will first introduce what Armed Service Editions books were, and who selected titles to be published as ASE and how selections were made. I will then analyze the reactions and reception of the Armed Services Edition publications by soldiers, the government and other general public of the United States at the time.

Origins of Armed Services Editions

In 1942, the Council of Books in Wartime was formed by book publishers with the objective of highlighting the importance of books to spread information, ideas, and help build morale during wartime. They had core aims to contribute to the war effort by the use of books “to sustain morale through relaxation and inspiration” with an emphasis on “influencing the thinking of the American people” in regards to problems of the United Nations with the war.¹ The board of directors for the council was elected from year to year, and included representatives from the biggest publishing companies in America such as Richard L. Simon from Simon & Schuster and the founders of Random House and W. W. Norton & Company.² A History of the Council on Books in Wartime, a historical account of the activities of the Council on Books in Wartime published in 1947 reveals that initial ideas to achieve their aims included preparing and distributing reading lists, creation of radio programs, and encouraging publishers to more widely distribute books they felt fit within their goals.³ The publication of Armed Services Editions began in 1943 and was their most ambitious project; paperbound books to be distributed by the government to the men in the Armed Forces overseas at war.

From 1943-1947, over 120 million books were shipped at a total cost of $7,143,000, making the Armed Services Editions one of the largest enterprises in the history of American book publishing at the time.⁴ Books were pocket sized and very intentionally so, the largest being 6.5” x 4.5”.⁵ This allowed for soldiers to be able to carry an ASE book with them everywhere and at all times, even in the midst of battle. Suggested categories by the Council of books to be published were similar to the initial ideas for reading lists, including a “moderate number of books dealing with the war” but also current popular fiction, “occasional books of humor”, and classics from American literature.⁶ The romance novels selected to be published fell under these latter categories, especially current popular fiction. As the Council consisted entirely of people from the most influential publishing companies in America, they were well-informed as to what was popular at the time and which books had been selling well with the general public. These publishers also saw it as an opportunity to shape the industry after the war as well, with chairman Norton stating that it will “exert tremendous influence” on the publishing industry, as “millions of men will have an opportunity to learn what a book is and what it can mean”.⁷

In order for a book to be printed as an Armed Services Edition, it had to be approved by the advisory committee of the Council, and representatives from the Army and the Navy. While the Council tended to favor books of good writing and literary intention, the Army focused less on the quality of literature and centered its preference of novels on what they deemed most appealing to a mass male audience in terms of content.⁸ The Council tended to favor books of good writing and literary intention, whereas the Army focalized less on the quality of literature and centered its preference of novels on what it deemed the most appealing to a mass male audience in terms of content. Historian William Leary explains that this preference from the Army and the Navy not to make the selections too “highbrow” is how racier romance fiction best sellers were included for print.⁹ This shows that romance fiction at the time was not valued or chosen for literary merit, but rather its digestibility and appeal to general masses. Those qualities are thus what allowed many titles to be published as Armed Services Editions.

Accessibility of the Armed Services Edition Prints

Armed Service Edition books were distributed and sent to the troops entirely for free; soldiers didn’t have to pay anything to be able to access them. This meant that those who were unable to afford a book as civilians were suddenly given access to the world of books. Publishers and authors were more than aware of this fact and prioritized wide-spread distribution over making money directly from ASEs, as the bulk of the charges to the government were only to cover manufacturing costs. In fact, once the Army reassured that cheaper books meant more could be distributed, “several publishers and authors waived all or part of the royalty”.¹⁰ Archivist and scholar Alex H. Poole claims that it’s this availability of cheap and easily digestible books through the ASEs that allowed “an unprecedented number of Americans to participate in national print culture” ¹¹ regardless of their background. Romance fiction novels being distributed as AESEs meant that they also became accessible to millions of men.

Armed Forces Response to the Program and Romance Fiction

The Armed Services Editions were highly valued by the soldiers and had a significant impact on their wellbeing. In feedback sent to the Council, Colonel Trautman exclaimed that “the only complaint the boys have about the books is that there just aren’t enough of them”. ¹² The books were described to have been read so much that the print was no longer legible, with units gathering around flashlights reading until the batteries died, and then continued reading under candlelight.¹³

Romance fiction novels specifically were heavily sought out by troops. One soldier in West Africa stated that what men really wanted were books like Forever Amber, Strange Fruit, and The Three Musketeers.¹⁴ Waiting lists for their turn to read Forever Amber and Strange Fruit were as long as 30 names.¹⁵ Forever Amber is a historical romance novel following the story of an orphaned girl who rises through 17th century society in England by sleeping with rich and powerful men while never being able to be with her true love, and included more explicit and racy descriptions. Romance novel Strange Fruit explored controversial social issues, centering around interracial romance, but also included explicit descriptions of seduction. Soldiers were quite frank about why they were so popular, explaining that the most read books have at least some essence of “to put it bluntly — sex and a lot of it”.¹⁶ An article published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1945 noted that soldiers enjoyed titles such as Star Spangled Virgin, Lust for Life, Call Her Rosie, and The Lively Lady, searching for books with “racy” passages; as those were “popular as pin-up girls”.¹⁷ Evidently, part of the appeal of romance fiction amongst armed services troops was the sexual nature and explicit descriptions often included in them.

Romance novels were also desired for reasons other than to fulfill sexual entertainment or interest. One letter stated that many soldiers “would like to get hold of Anna Karenina”,¹⁸ a novel by Tolstoy of literary acclaim that centers around an affair between young lovers but doesn’t contain any explicit scenes. There was also a letter signed by an entire unit asking for just two books: “a dictionary and Tad Potter by Asa Wilgus”.¹⁹ Tad Potter is a novel about a young man drawn to the big city and tries to change himself yearning for a woman he loves, but ultimately returns home and finds true love. A librarian at a services hospital noted that the popularity with Tad Potter was not surprising, as it featured a young man returning home in the Spring, something every soldier yearned for.²⁰ Thus romance fiction also appealed to troops because it connected them back to civilian life, gave them hope and reminded them of what was beyond the war.

These romance fiction books were with soldiers through it all, and some until the very end. In a letter addressed to the Council, a soldier spoke of witnessing the casualties after a night of heavy mortar fire and seeing the body of a young private. He described observing that “sticking from his back trouser pocket was a yellow pocket edition of a book he had evidently been reading in his spare moments. Only the title was visible — Our Hearts Were Young and Gay”.²¹ Our Hearts Were Young and Gay is a light-hearted, comical romance novel following the romantic escapades and general antics of two women friends as they experience Europe for the first time. In hospitals, ASEs were noted to keep “boys from thinking of the fact that they would go home with one arm or one leg less than they had when they left”.²² The lively and positive nature of books like Our Hearts Were Young and Gay provided a much needed distraction for soldiers trying to survive the grim realities of war. Romance fiction novels clearly provided solace to American soldiers throughout World War II and were held closely to their personal belongings even in battle.

Negative Response to Romance Novels as ASEs

Despite the positive reception from troops, there was some negative response and pushback to the inclusion of certain romance fiction novels in the publication of Armed Services Editions. Some of the titles published were actually banned in some areas of the United States at the time, notably the ever-popular Strange Fruit and Forever Amber for containing what was deemed to be pornographic content.²³ In executive meeting minutes from the Council of Books in Wartime, member Philip Van Doren Stern is quoted saying that the editorial committee “objected to having to give their approval on a number of… books they consider of a trashy nature”.²⁴ Precisely what appealed to many of the soldiers reading these books, the explicit and racy content is also exactly what caused the romance novels to be banned or spoken out against for. This negative response to romance fiction in fact further increased popularity of the books with troops, with one soldier writing that they were excited to read Forever Amber because “we get curious about all books that are banned in Boston — and who wouldn’t”.²⁵  The Council ultimately ruled against the suggestion of the editorial committee, stating that “the committee should be delighted to give their approval of the books” since those  titles have been expressed to “give the boys overseas the kind of release from tension that they want”.²⁶ This stance strongly aligns with The Council’s initial stated intentions and values to help sustain morale throughout the war, and to include works of general popular fiction. Romance fiction novels being popular with the masses and providing relief and reprieve to the armed forces during the extenuating circumstances of war is what helped sustain its publication as ASEs despite negative reception and the banning in other areas of the United States.

Troops were immensely grateful for the continuous inclusion of romance books within the ASEs despite pushback elsewhere. One lieutenant in India extended “damned sincere thanks” for the publication of “everything from Zane Grey to Plato” and the variety of titles outside of just westerns or Tarzan stories.²⁷ Another soldier wrote to the Council urging them to “pay no attention, absolutely no attention, to whatever organization tries to influence your selection of books”.²⁸ The appreciation for romance novels by troops was thus made more apparent by the calls to remove some of them from ASE printing. Scholars have also argued that the continuous publication of banned romance fiction novels “functioned as a symbolic reminder of the freedom and liberty for which their government had enlisted them to fight”.²⁹ The continuous publication of romance fiction as ASEs in opposition of critics thus reflected the soldiers’ desire and appreciation for romance fiction and overall values as American troops.

Conclusion

The publishing of romance fiction novels as Armed Services Editions (ASE) was integral to ensuring a diverse selection of books sent to American troops during World War II despite negative pushback. The publishing as ASEs helped expose millions of men to books and romance fiction, and the strong positive reception of ASE romance novels amongst soldiers indicates that romance fiction was well received in this demographic. The Armed Services Editions were highly valued by soldiers, and the romance novels had a significant impact on their wellbeing by providing emotional reprieve during war, fulfilling sexual interests, and acting as a symbol of freedom in face of opposition.

 

Endnotes

1. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 9.

2. Ibid, 27.
3. Ibid, 9
4. Jamieson, John. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.: A History, Together With the Complete List of the 1,324 Books Published for American Armed Forces Overseas. New York, 1948, 3.

5. Ibid, 11
6. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 9.

7. Jamieson, John. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.: A History, Together With the Complete List of the 1,324 Books Published for American Armed Forces Overseas. New York, 1948, 9.

8. Ibid, 19.
9. Leary, William M. “Books, Soldiers and Censorship During the Second World War.” American Quarterly 20, no. 2 (1968): 237–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/2711034, 289.

10. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 71.

11. Poole, Alex H. “‘As Popular as Pin-Up Girls’: The Armed Services Editions, Masculinity, and Middlebrow Print Culture in the Mid-Twentieth-Century United States.” Information & Culture 52, no. 4 (2017): 462–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44668256. 478.

12. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 9.

13. Ibid.
14. Letter from B. N. to Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., September 7, 1945, Council Archives. Quoted in M. Manning. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 131.

15. Manning, Molly Guptill. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 132.
16. Letter from Pvt. D. S. to Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., March 23, 1945, Council Archives. Quoted in M . Manning. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 132.

17. Wittels, David G. “What the G.I. Reads.” The Saturday Evening Post. June 23, 1945 11; 91-93, 93.

18. Letter from J. B. to the Chairman of the Council on Books in Wartime, January 4, 1945, Council Record. Quoted in M . Manning. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 129.

19. “Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.,” signed by entire unit (undated), Council Records. Quoted in M . Manning. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 135.

20. Letter from Sgt. G. F. to Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., August 13, 1945, Council Records. Quoted in M . Manning. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 135.

21. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 83.

22. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 81.

23. Special to The New York Times. “‘Forever Amber Banned’; Kathleen Winsor Novel is Held ‘Obscene’ in Massachusetts.” The New York Times, July 6, 1946.
24. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 136.

27. Letter from Capt. M. C., December 23, 1944, Council Records. Quoted in M . When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 135.
28. Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946, 136.
29. Letter from T. C. to the Council on Books in Wartime (undated), Council Records. Quoted in M . When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 127.
30. Letter from R. W. W. to the Armed Services Editions, July 21, 1944, Council Records. Quoted in M . When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, 136.
31. Loss, Christopher P. “Reading between Enemy Lines: Armed Services Editions and World War II.” The Journal of Military History 67, no. 3 (2003): 811–34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3397327, 828.

 

Bibliography

Council on Books in Wartime, A History of the Council on Books in Wartime 1942-1946. Country Life Press, 1946.

Jamieson, John. Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.: A History, Together With the Complete  List of the 1,324 Books Published for American Armed Forces Overseas. New York, 1948.

Leary, William M. “Books, Soldiers and Censorship During the Second World War.” American Quarterly 20, no. 2 (1968): 237–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/ .

Loss, Christopher P. “Reading between Enemy Lines: Armed Services Editions and World War II.” The Journal of Military History 67, no. 3 (2003): 811–34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3397327.

Manning, Molly Guptill. When Books Went to War. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.

Poole, Alex H. “‘As Popular as Pin-Up Girls’: The Armed Services Editions, Masculinity, and Middlebrow Print Culture in the Mid-Twentieth-Century United States.” Information & Culture 52, no. 4 (2017): 462–86. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44668256.

Special to The New York Times. “‘Forever Amber Banned’; Kathleen Winsor Novel is Held ‘Obscene’ in Massachusetts.” The New York Times, July 6, 1946.

Wittels, David G. “What the G.I. Reads.” The Saturday Evening Post. June 23, 1945 11; 91-93.