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Osley, A. Persuading the People 1995

June 21, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

A government publication aimed at the younger generations, although older generations would also be interested in the many illustrations of posters, leaflets, etc.

The book begins with a brief chronology, and an explanation of why the subject is still of relevance, before outlining the wartime publicity machine which produced so many campaigns. The book then deals with various themes such as morale, mobilisation, salvage and health. The book ends with a brief bibliography that contains many of the key works still relevant at PhD level!

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, HMSO, posters

Opie, R. The Wartime Scrapbook, 1998

June 20, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

Robert Opie maintains an unrivalled collection of advertising and packaging memorabilia, and many of his pieces from the Second World War are showcased in this scrapbook. There’s a little bit of everything in the book: posters, packaging, booklets, gas masks, badges, jars, magazines, etc.

There are little scraps of information dotted around on each page to explain the significance of some of the objects, but largely the objects are left to speak for themselves.

A very colourful book that will delight those who remember the war, and fascinate others! My only criticism would be that in the effort to maintain that ‘scrapbook’ feel very few items are seen complete! But then I suppose you need to go to the museum in Gloucester!

Buy from Amazon.

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Advertising, Robert Opie, second world war

McLaine, I. Ministry of Morale: Home Front Morale and the Ministry of Information in World War Two London: George Allen & Unwin, 1979

June 18, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

A key work for this project which fully considers the administrative history of the Ministry of Information, the lead government department for propaganda. He argues that for two years, the measures taken by government propagandists were:

  • Unnecessary and inept
  • Based on misunderstanding and distrust of the British public
  • Products of the class and background of the propagandists themselves.
  • He feels that after two years:
  • The Germans were still characterised as irretrievably wicked.
  • Efforts were made to separate Communism from the ‘Russian’ (not Soviet) war effort.
  • Propaganda was intermittently prompted by doubts about people’s martial stamina and devotion to Parliamentary democracy.

McLaine felt that the achievements of the Ministry of Information were that:

  • The MOI realised importance of full and honest news as a factor
  • They recognised that in the fight against totalitarianism, it was important not to disregard one of its main weapons, although within a democratic context.
  • With benefit of Home Intelligence, the MOI came to regard the British people as sensible and tough, and so entitled to be taken into the government’s confidence

See if you can get hold of a copy on Amazon.}

Filed Under Book Review, ministry of information, propaganda Tagged With Administrative, British, Government Policy, Ian McLaine, ministry of information, propaganda

Howlett, P. Fighting with Figures London: HMSO, 1995

June 17, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

If you want to know any statistics about the Second World War, then this is the place to look! The Central Statistical Office arose out of the Ministry of Information, which was formed at the outbreak of the Second World War (after a lot of pre-war planning)and this book is a result of all the information held!

Areas covered include population, health, crime, housing, employment, agricultural and other production statistics, along with financial figures. But the book is not ALL ‘dry’ statistics. Before diving into the figures, each chapter begins with a few pages explaining the relevance of the statistics, and therefore why it was of interest to the State to collect such information.

Useful for those who need to back up their information with some quantitative information!

“Fighting with Figures first published as Statistical Digest of the War (1951) is an informative and historical book which gives a unique insight into how Britain and its economy cope during the Second World War. In addition to recording activity on the Home Front Front in major areas of crime, production, health and welfare, the book also gives figures on how agriculture responded to the demands to produce more food and the the aircraft industry produced the planes that played so vital a part in the victory. The book also measures the volumes of trade brought to war-torn Britain from overseas.” Statbase

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, Statistics

Grant, Mariel Propaganda and the Role of the State in Inter-War Britain Oxford: Clarendon, 1994

June 16, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

This work is converted from Grant’s PhD thesis, and is obviously largely concerned with the inter-war propaganda, although the starting point taken was the initial ‘failure’ of the Ministry of Information at the beginning of the war. She feels that most other works have concentrated too much upon the negativity which surrounded propaganda after its use in the First World War, and upon staffing problems, with little or no consideration of peacetime propaganda which affected wartime propaganda.

The work considers inter-war developments, such as the development of publicity bureaux in many government departments, which caused problems in the formation of the Ministry of Information as they did not want to give up their independence to a centralised publicity bureau in the war. By 1937, there were seventeen publicity departments, which shows a rise in the acceptance of the idea of publicity as “legitimate function” of government departments, even if it was not fully accepted by the Second World War.

She considers propaganda developments in other countries, and debates about propaganda in the period in order to understand how, why and to what degree propaganda became an acceptable activity of government.

Purchase from Oxford University Press

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Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, Britain, propaganda

Freeman, R.A. Britain at War 1990

June 15, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

To describe this book as a ‘scrapbook’ is oversimplifying it rather a lot! There is a lot of good quality text also within this work, although the information is not referenced! The book IS aimed at the younger reader, or those with a general interest, and is well illustrated with many well-known (and not so well known) black and white photographs.

The book deals with life on the Home Front during the Second World War, maintaining a chronological layout as far as possible, but much of the ‘Home Front’ wartime life was ‘ongoing’ and therefore there are thematic chapters devoted to rationing, salvage, to life on the land, entertainment, all the while promoting the ‘Blitz spirit’.

A good book for schools!

Buy on Amazon.

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, Britain, propaganda, second world war

Fougasse (Kenneth Bird) A School of Purposes London: Methuen & Co., 1946

June 13, 2010 By drbexl Leave a Comment

An small book extensively illustrated with many of the posters produced by this famous artist during the Second World War. There is a brief introduction by A.P.Herbert, and the illustrations are accompanied by an essay by Fougasse considering some of the objectives to be met, and the difficulties to be dealt with, by the poster artist. This allows us to appreciate all the more the images produced by Fougasse and other poster artists.

See if you can find it on Amazon.

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, Fougasse

Doherty, M. Nazi Wireless Propaganda: Lord Haw-Haw and British Public Opinion in the Second World War Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000

June 12, 2010 By drbexl 3 Comments

This  is the first book devoted exclusively to the analysis of the Nazis’ radio effort against the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It traces the development of the German propaganda service and looks to erode the myth surrounding Lord Haw-Haw -the ‘superpropagandist’. Propaganda is presented in context: the purposes behind it, the changing patterns, themes, styles, and techniques employed, and the impact upon the target audience and its morale. An analysis of the Nazi wireless broadcasts to Britain for the whole of the Second World War reveals a sophisticated and intelligent propaganda assault on the social and economic fabric of British society. In the end the British failed to succumb to the stupefying effects of Nazi propaganda and they traditionally congratulate themselves upon the national unity which immunised them against it. The author argues that this traditional view disguises a more complex, less appealing reality.

Edinburgh University Press Review. Further Details

The book looks at the organisation behind the broadcasts to the United Kingdom during the Second World War: the RMVP (German Propaganda Ministry). It considers the subjects used in broadcasts during the `Phoney war`, including the type of social problems in Britain upon which the Nazis focused. It also discusses the subject matter used during a time of seemingly `unstoppable victories` for the Nazis, and also reflects upon how they dealt with the issue of defeat. The book also considers how the British, including the state, the media, and the people, reacted to the broadcasts.

People often felt that they were not being given enough facts by their own government, so turned to `Lord Haw-Haw` for information. Along with other recent books by James Chapman ‘The British at War: Cinema, State and Propaganda’ (1998) and Mariel Grant ‘Propaganda and the Role of State in Interwar Britain’ (1994) this book is a converted, well-researched, PhD thesis dealing with an otherwise under-researched area in the ever-widening field of British propaganda studies, with a particular focus upon the highly mythologized figure of `Lord Haw-Haw`

An interesting extra to the book is a CD which contains a selection of wartime broadcasts by `Lord Haw-Haw` and other broadcasters from Germany, spanning January 1940 to April 1945. It is interesting that new media has allowed a wider circulation of such topics, with a reasonable sound quality.

Buy from Amazon.

Filed Under Book Review, propaganda Tagged With Book Review, Lord Haw-Haw, Martin Doherty, Nazi, propaganda, Radio

Davies, J. The Book of Guinness Advertising, 1998

June 9, 2010 By drbexl 1 Comment

When I bought this book, it was the cover which caught my eye! A multiplicity of colourful Guinness advertising (particularly posters) was tiled across the front. However, the new cover is also instantly recognisable as Guinness advertising – reminiscent of the ‘black and white’ campaign which has again been replaced! One cannot stand still in the world of advertising as interest in the product needs to be maintained!

Guinness advertisements have been running since 1929, necessary in a world in which pubs were/are tied to breweries, the independent drink needed to create such a demand for the drink that pubs would be FORCED to stock it! The entire history of Guinness advertising is dealt with intelligently in this book, which is finished off with a bibliography for further research.

A wonderful, informative, nostalgic book – and I don’t even LIKE Guinness!!!

You can see more at the Guinness website.

Buy from Amazon.

Filed Under Book Review Tagged With Book Review, Guinness, posters

Darracott, J., Loftus, B. Second World War Posters London: HMSO, 1972 (Reprinted 1981)

June 8, 2010 By drbexl 2 Comments

A well illustrated work that accompanied an exhibition of war posters at the Imperial War Museum. It was edited by Joseph Darracott, the head of the Art Department at the IWM, with many illustrations prefaced by a short introductory piece. Each of the colour poster illustrations, most of which are British (a reflection of the holdings of the IWM, which contains some 20-30,000 British posters) are accompanied by biographical information about the artist, and contextual information about the situation in which the posters were produced.

“Posters are not designed to last, rather, they are intended to catch the mood of the moment and turn it to advantage. … As we look at war posters, we see our modern world reflected.” [p9]

Filed Under Book Review, Imperial War Museum Tagged With Book Review, Imperial War Museum, posters, second world war
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