Anthology was created by Read to be a durable companion for soldiers in WWII....In the introduction "During the last war, as a soldier on active serice, I was veyh conscious of the need of a book which I could carry about with me as part of myt kit, and which would suit the vairous moods and circumstances of my unsettle existence...."

From Fussells "Wartime"
""an ingenious little 4- by 6 1/2 inch anthology of prose and verse...designed specifically for troop use, not just substantively, in the selction, but physically in the binding. The cloth covers of this little book- bron, for maouflage-join and overlap to form a slip-case with a snap closure, protecting the over 600 India-paper pages from damage. "