1940s Books: Top Writers, Novels And Reading Trends

Paper rationing, wartime reading, and two of the century's great warnings.

Below: books published in the 1940s, the writers who defined it, what was changing in publishing, and how people actually got hold of a book.

Every title and date is real. Useful for a reading list, a quiz round or a reminiscence session.

Books published in the 1940s

• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) and Animal Farm (1945).
• Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (1945).
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Dutch, 1947).
• Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot (1943).
• Put Out More Flags by Evelyn Waugh (1942).
• The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (1948).
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (1945).
• The Famous Five begins with Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton (1942).

Writers who defined the decade

• George Orwell, whose last two books defined post-war political language.
• Enid Blyton, producing books faster than most people read them.
• Elizabeth Bowen, writing the Blitz as it happened.
• Nancy Mitford, with The Pursuit of Love (1945).
• Dylan Thomas, broadcasting as well as publishing.
• Mervyn Peake, starting Gormenghast (1946).

Publishing and writing trends

• Paper rationing from 1940 cut print runs and thinned the paper itself.
• Services Editions and forces libraries put paperbacks in kitbags.
• War writing: reportage, diaries and poetry, often published years later.
• Post-war austerity keeps books short and typefaces tight.
• The Arts Council (1946) and a rebuilt library network back reading again.

How people read

• Reading in shelters and on fire-watch shifts, often by torchlight.
• Books passed round until they fell apart - replacing them was not easy.
• Boots and the public library did the heavy lifting for most families.
• Comics and annuals returned slowly as paper became available.

Years covered in the 1940s

• 1940 - Rationing, Dunkirk, Churchill and the Blitz - the year everything changed. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1940
• 1941 - The Blitz continued, clothes went on the ration and America entered the war. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1941
• 1942 - The Beveridge Report, soap on the ration and the first American troops arriving. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1942
• 1943 - The tide turned, the Dambusters flew and the country got used to going without. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1943
• 1944 - D-Day, the V-1s and the Education Act that changed school for everyone. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1944
• 1945 - VE Day, VJ Day, a landslide election and street parties on bomb-damaged roads. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1945
• 1946 - Television came back, bread went on the ration and the family allowance started. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1946
• 1947 - The worst winter in memory, a royal wedding and Indian independence. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1947
• 1948 - The NHS began, the Olympics came to London and the Windrush docked at Tilbury. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1948
• 1949 - Clothes rationing ended, the pound was devalued and the decade closed on austerity. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1949
• That is every 1940s year we have written up so far: 1940 to 1949.

How to use this

• Reading list: pick one novel and one non-fiction title from the decade someone was born in.
• Quiz round: read a title and ask for the decade, or read a writer and ask for one book.
• Reminiscence: ask what they were made to read at school, and what they read in secret.
• Anyone born in 1940 turns 50 in 1990, 60 in 2000 and 70 in 2010.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Publication year and the year someone read it are rarely the same - paperbacks arrived a year or two later.
• For a birthday, a first edition is expensive but a decent second-hand copy from their birth year is not.
• Libraries can order almost anything on this list for free.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1940
• Look back to 1941
• Look back to 1942
• Look back to 1943
• Look back to 1944
• Look back to 1945
• Look back to 1946
• Look back to 1947
• Look back to 1948
• Look back to 1949
• 1940s books, films and TV
• 1940s food and recipes
• 1940s films and directors
• 1940s calendar: year by year
• 1940s trivia: fun facts
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Traditional British party games
• Pen and paper games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Decade literature: writers and books by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Food by decade: dishes and food trends
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the best books from the 1940s?

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) and Animal Farm (1945). The full list above gives the novels and non-fiction worth reading from the decade, with publication years.

Which writers defined the 1940s?

George Orwell, whose last two books defined post-war political language. The writers section above names the rest.

What was changing in publishing in the 1940s?

Paper rationing from 1940 cut print runs and thinned the paper itself. The trends section covers how books were made, priced and sold.

Do you sell books?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy - try a library or a second-hand bookshop for the books.