If you’re in the mood for a little light hard-boiled reading this season, the latest Field Notes special editions are just the trick. In 1943, the U.S. government and the American publishing industry collaborated to create an imprint known as the “Armed Services Editions.” Over the next few years, more than 120 million books were printed and distributed to overseas troops during World War II. The books were easy to take into action, printed in an odd horizontal format with bright primary-colored covers, and included detective fiction, classics and timely nonfiction, too.
Field Notes’ “1943” memo books mimic those original volumes. They are also the brand’s first with two staples on the short side instead of three on the long side—but fear not, the verso side is still the familiar vertical. “While mocking up prototypes, we realized the short-edge binding also works great for a vertical notebook!” says the Field Notes crew.
A long time has passed since I collected copies of these battle-ready originals, and although the Field Notes versions lack the patina and scent of the old, the covers are printed on sturdy Westrock Tango 12pt coated cover stock. The body of the book is 60# Domtar Cougar “Natural” with an “Aged Newsprint” 3/16″ graph grid.
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