Scope and Contents
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.
Dates
- 1943-1946
Creator
- Armed Services Editions, Inc. (Organization)
- Council on Books in Wartime (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
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.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
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.
Extent
6 linear feet (4 containers ) : 3 record storage boxes, 1 flat box
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
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.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alexa Goff in 2017.
- Literature -- Collections Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Publishers and Publishing Subject Source: Archiveswest
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Literature and the war Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Armed Services Edition books
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Alexa Goff
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
