Books, GIs and World War II is the subject of free talk at the NY State Military Museum on Saturday, April 16

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The book "When Books Went to War is the subject of a talk at the NY State Military Museum on April 16.

SARATOGA SPRINGS , NY (04/08/2016)(readMedia)-- The books American GIs read during World War II will be the subject of a free lecture on Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. at the New York State Military Museum here.

Latham native Molly Guptill Manning, a graduate of the University at Albany and a lawyer who now lives in Manhattan, will talk about the programs which brought first used books and then specially printed paperback books to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines fighting in North Africa, Europe and the Pacific.

Manning is the author of "When Books Went to War" a history of the effort to put books in the hands of servicemen,

Ultimately publishers teamed up to print 120 million paperback books designed to fit in a Soldiers hip pocket or a rucksack. Titles ranged from mysteries to science. These paperback books introduced readers to The Great Gatsby and made the author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn famous.

The paperbacks produced for the Soldiers made paper back books respectable, so that people looked for them after the war.

Manning will discuss the history of the book effort and what she learned while writing her book during the talk.

The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center is housed in the historic New York State Armory in Saratoga Springs.

The mission of the museum and research center is to preserve, interpret and disseminate the story, history and records of New York State's military forces and veterans. The collection is divided into the museum and the library/archives holdings.

The museum has permanent exhibits telling the story of New York's men and women in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Revolutionary War and as members of the state militia in the 19th Century. The museum has more than 10,000 artifacts ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The New York State Military Museum is also responsible for the historical exhibits and artifacts at New York's 41 Army National Guard armories. These artifacts and displays, which include historic armored vehicles once used by the Guard, connect current Army National Guard Soldiers with those who served in the past.