This is the first in-depth study on the role of British publishing in 1939-45, an aspect of the World War Two that other books have not covered in any detail. Although frequently referred to as a barren interlude stunted by war and austerity (paper rationing played a crucial role), the period was also marked by innovation in book design, changes in the pattern of trade (the time when Penguin became hugely profitable, and also when a surprising number of shiploads of books were exported), and the advent of new readers in the UK and elsewhere.The book analyses the pivotal role played by publishers in relations between Government and people, shedding light on the intervention by wartime ministries at all stages of book production, and assesses the extent to which war affected the corpus of literature that was published. This fascinating period has been intensively studied by social and political historians but is virtually untouched by historians of the book until now. This major new study draws extensively on previously unpublished and often un-catalogued archive material, and will fill a gap in the book history market.