Soldiers of the pen : the Writers' War Board in World War II

Resource Information

The work Soldiers of the pen : the Writers' War Board in World War II represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in DC Public Library System. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Soldiers of the pen : the Writers' War Board in World War II

Title remainder

the Writers' War Board in World War II

Statement of responsibility

Thomas Howell

Title variation

• WWB in WWII
• Writers' War Board in World War II

Creator

• Howell, Thomas, 1944-

Author

• Howell, Thomas, 1944-

Subject

• Authors, American -- Societies, etc
• History
• Mass media and war
• Propaganda
• Propaganda, American
• Propaganda, American -- History -- 20th century
• United States
• War and literature
• 1900-1999
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Propaganda
• World War, 1939-1945 -- United States -- Literature and the war
• World War, 1939-1945 -- United States -- Mass media and the war
• World War, 1939-1945 -- United States -- Motion pictures and the war
• Writers' War Board
• Writers' War Board
• War and motion pictures
• Authors, American -- 20th century -- Societies, etc

Genre

• History

Language

eng

Summary

"From 1942 to 1945, a small, influential group of media figures willingly volunteered their services to form the Writers' War Board (WWB), accepting requests from government agencies to create propaganda. Members included mystery writer Rex Stout, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck, novelist and sports writer Paul Gallico, Book-of-the-Month Club editor and popular radio host Clifton Fadiman, and Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. The WWB mobilized thousands of other writers across the country to spread its campaigns through articles, public appearances, radio broadcasts, and more. The WWB received federal money while retaining its status as a private organization that could mount campaigns without government oversight. Historian Thomas Howell argues that this unique position has caused its history to fall between the cracks, since it was not recognized as an official part of the government's war effort. Yet the WWB's work had a huge impact on the nation's wartime culture, and this fascinating history will inform contemporary thinking on propaganda, the media, and American society." -- Publisher's description

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

940.54/88673

Index

index present

LC call number

D810.P7

LC item number

U375 2019

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography