A "magisterial" (Sunday Times) illumination of how books were used in war across the twentieth century--both as weapons and as agents for peace. We tend not to talk about books and war in the same breath--one ranks among humanity's greatest inventions, the other among its most terrible. But as esteemed literary historian Andrew Pettegree demonstrates, the two are deeply intertwined. The Book at War explores the various roles that books have played in conflicts throughout the globe. Winston Churchill used a travel guide to plan the invasion of Norway, lonely families turned to libraries while their loved ones were fighting in the trenches, and during the Cold War both sides used books to spread their visions of how the world should be run. As solace or instruction manual, as critique or propaganda, books have shaped modern military history--for both good and ill. With precise historical analysis and sparkling prose, The Book at War accounts for the power--and the ambivalence--of words at war.

"Originally published in Great Britain in 2023 by Profile Books Ltd"--Title page verso.

Part 1: Building the fighting nation. A call to arms -- The art of war -- From Uncle Tom's Cabin to Stalingrad: Why men fight -- Part II: The mobilisation of knowledge. The battle of science -- The spooks of academe -- Lines on a map -- Part III: The home front. Print for victory -- Reading in wartime -- Blacklists -- Part IV: Books for the boys. Troops -- The author at war -- The great escape -- Part V: The bomber will always get through. Sanctuary -- Plunder -- Pulp and ashes -- Part VI: 1945-89: War as peace. Cleansing -- Restitution -- Hearts and minds -- Coda: The end of history and the continuation of war -- Acknowledgements -- Notes -- List of illustrations -- Index.