Black-Out Book, The

As the haunting air raid sirens of World War II echoed around blacked out streets, the people of London and other British cities would gather together in tube stations, tunnels, railway arches, basements and makeshift shelters at the bottom of gardens, fearful of what the night might bring from the dark skies. Here, in these cramped refuges, families and strangers would find comfort and distraction in the form of games, stories and jokes. Evelyn August brings together over five hundred games, pensées, puzzles, jokes and literary snippets which provided some amusement during the long nights of the blitz. From ‘A thought for the petrol-rationed motorist’ and ‘Prayers of the Great’ (Henry VIII, Raleigh, Plato), to ‘What happened to the shilling?’ and ‘What to do when sleep won’t come’, The Black-out Book provides an insight into the pastimes and distractions sought during the blitz. Entertaining to all, nostalgic for many, what emerges in this fascinating book is the spirit and humor of the British people during the terrifying black-out nights of World War II.