Peeking inside 1942's "Handbook of Civilian Protection"

Piggybacking on the topic of today's earlier post, here's a brief look at the 1942 Handbook of Civilian Protection, published on the heels of the United States' entrance into World War II.

It was prepared by the Civilian Defense Council of the College of the City of New York (which received all royalties), published by Whittlesey House (a division of McGraw-Hill) and printed at The Maple Press Company of York, Pennsylvania, because of course there's almost always a York connection. 

Topics addressed include:

• Total War and the Civilian
• Organization of the Citizens' Defense Corps in Each Community
• How the Air Raid Alarm System Works
• The Work of the Air Raid Wardens
• What to Do in Your Home
• The Problem of Glass
• Blackouts and Lighting Restrictions
• The Work of Fire Watchers
• Incendiary Bombs and High Explosives
• Use of Garden Hose
• How to Protect Yourself against High Explosives
• How to Protect Records, Rare Books, and Art Treasures¹
• Illegality of Poison Gas
• Reducing Your Consumption of Rubber
• Nutrition in the Wartime Emergency

This was early in World War II. Much of the information seems to be informed by a combination of knowledge from World War I that was still relevant, plus insights gained from the Battle of Britain and The Blitz. All of this is, of course, pre-Cold War and atomic worries. Standard first aid, how to be safe in your home during an air attack and wartime conservation are large portions of the guide.

Here are some images from the book:

Footnote

1. Three pages are devoted to this! I love my books. But if my house is under attack, my only concern is the human beings and animals. (And living in the desert, where basements are extremely rare, means we're kind of screwed.) The book notes: "During the panic of May, 1940, caused by the news of the break in the French front, employees of the Quai d'Orsay lighted huge bonfires along the Seine with great bundles of secret documents and other archives hurled out of windows of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Valuable libraries, notably those of Louvain, London, and Bristol universities and the university library at Manila have already been destroyed in this war. ... The imprudence of concentrating records in one central location, however protected from bombardment, has been amply demonstrated in the present war. Hence, evacuation, particularly in the case of rare books and art treasures, to places of emergency storage is urged."