MOST ASE's WERE COMPLETE and unabridged reprints of their original texts, and carried the proud screamer: "THIS IS THE COMPLETE BOOK-NOT A DlGEST."
But some books needed for the project were just too long to fit into the 512-page limit imposed by the special magazine presses on which ASE's were printed; about 90 of the 1,322 ASE titles were abridged to fit within the 512-page maximum.
The Council hired free-lance editors to trim lengthy books like Forever Amber, The Moonstone, and Look Homeward, Angel down to the maximum-possible ASE size, 512 pages. The results were described as "CONDENSED FOR WARTIME READING."
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In the case of Henry the Eighth and Boston Adventure, the authors themselves shortened their books.
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Francis Hackett. Henry the Eighth. Armed Services Edition [S-37]. UVa. | Jean Stafford. Boston Adventure. Armed Services Edition [S-40]. UVa. |
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In a 1982 letter, Wallace Stegner recalls his humorous adventures in cutting large chunks of text from his novel, The Big Rock Candy Mountain.
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Wallace Stegner. Letter to John Y. Cole, December 1982. Photocopy. | Wallace Stegner. The Big Rock Candy Mountain. Armed Services Edition [N-32]. UVa. |
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