A title perhaps more at home in your school library than a specific department. That’s because The Book at War is a fascinating study of how books and other reading matter have variously influenced politics, propaganda and history over time, making it a useful starting point for discussion around issues such as free speech.

Among its intriguing, lesser-known facts is the detail that picture postcards with military themes, rather than beaches, have been used in other countries as tools of persuasion. Closer to home, there’s some thoughtful exploration of the historically symbiotic relationship between British newspapers and the country’s publishing industry, and interesting analysis of how the work of war poets such as Wilfred Owen came to prominence after WWI, contrasted with the popularity of gung-ho wartime texts for younger readers, such as The Boy’s Own Paper.

Highly recommended.

This review was first published in Teach Secondary magazine.