Description

‘Rich, authoritative, and highly readable … [a] tour de force’ David Kynaston

Chairman Mao was a librarian. Stalin was a published poet. Evelyn Waugh served as a commando – before leaving to write Brideshead Revisited. Since the advent of modern warfare, books have all too often found themselves on the frontline.

In The Book at War, acclaimed historian Andrew Pettegree traces the surprising ways in which written culture – from travel guides and scientific papers to Biggles and Anne Frank – has shaped, and been shaped, by the vast conflicts of the modern age.

From the American Civil War to the invasion of Ukraine, books, authors and readers have gone to war – and in the process become both deadly weapons and our most persuasive arguments for peace.

Publisher Review

In this magisterial study Andrew Pettegree, who recently co-wrote a much lauded global history of the library, surveys how books have been put to work during times of crisis. — Kathryn Hughes * The Sunday Times * Rich, authoritative and highly readable, Andrew Pettegree’s tour de force will appeal to anyone for whom, whatever the circumstances, books are an abiding, indispensable part of life. — David Kynaston An endlessly fascinating analysis of the part played in history of libraries and their shelved content — Neil Hegarty * Irish Times * This study of the ways books have been used in wartime – to escape, as propaganda, burnt or hidden – is a treasure trove of details … Pettegree has an eye for memorable facts — ‘Best Books of the Year 2023′ * The Times * [A] discursive survey … looks at everything, from the Nazis’ book burning to the manuals used to train jihadists in the use of AK-47 rifles, and the books written and read at home and at the front to bolster spirits * New Statesman * Timely and informative … a fascinating read that gives a new insight into the business of war * Irish Examiner * Andrew Pettegree brings us a wonderfully readable account of conflict and literature and describes how books, authors and readers have gone to war with the written word put to work as both weapon and instrument of peace * Suffolk Magazine * In this new study of the book at war, acclaimed literary historian Andrew Pettegree traces the many often surprising ways in which the written word has shaped, and has been shaped by, the wars of the modern age * The Past * Books create; wars destroy. Yet The Book at War shows how inextricably entwined the two have always been. Illuminating — Judith Flanders, author * A Place For Everything: The Curious History of the Alphabetical Order * In modern warfare, books provide poignant witness statements as well as admonitory propaganda. They are weapons of war, composed by soldiers, studied by civilians, but also thrown into the fire. In his own impressive book, Andrew Pettegree shows how words could be blood-curdling and texts blood-spattered. Read on in order to turn the pages of war and peace — Peter Fritzsche, author * Hitler’s First Hundred Days *