The Black-Out Boo - compiled by Evelyn August (Hardcover, 2009)

As the haunting air raid sirens of World War II echoed around blacked \nout streets, the people of London and other British cities would gather \ntogether in tube stations, tunnels, railway arches, basements and \nmakeshift shelters at the bottom of gardens, fearful of what the night \nmight bring from the dark skies. Here, in these cramped refuges, \nfamilies and strangers would find comfort and distraction in the form of\n games, stories and jokes.\nEvelyn August brings together over five \nhundred games, pens\u00E9es, puzzles, jokes and literary snippets which \nprovided some amusement during the long nights of the blitz. From 'A \nthought for the petrol-rationed motorist' and 'Prayers of the Great' \n(Henry VIII, Raleigh, Plato), to 'What happened to the shilling?' and \n'What to do when sleep won't come', The Black-out Book provides an \ninsight into the pastimes and distractions sought during the blitz. \nEntertaining to all, nostalgic for many, what emerges in this \nfascinati.