The Council attempted to achieve its goals by acting as a clearinghouse for book-related ideas, by being an intermediary between the book-trade industry and government agencies, by offering advice to publishers, and by handling all forms of
public relations including distribution of reading lists and
pamphlets, lectures,
radio programs,
newsreels, and book promotion and publication. In 1942, the Council created a
War Book Panel to choose titles officially recommended by the council. These titles were republished by Council member publishers with a seal of approval, a large "I" on the front cover meaning an "Imperative" book. Six "Imperative" books were published between 1942 and 1945 (see
War Book Panel).
Armed Services Editions In the spring of 1943, the Council launched the effort for which it would become best known, the
Armed Services Editions. By the time the program ended in 1947, it had printed 122,951,031 books, selling them to the government at an average cost of just over six cents a volume. The
Armed Services Editions brought high-end books to a mass audience, and helped popularize the emerging paperback format. One of the most popular ASE books was
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) by
Betty Smith, and the ASE's distribution of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
The Great Gatsby helped revive interest in the book. In 1944, the council launched Oversees Editions, Inc, a subsidiary aimed at distributing American books to civilian populations abroad, to promote a positive view of American culture. == Dissolution ==