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American book publishing during the Second World War had to cope with a huge increase in demand for books coupled with scarcity of resources, especially paper rationing imposed by the War Production Board. Based on research in the Random House archives and focusing on the Modern Library series, this article examines how publishers coped with wartime challenges and opportunities. Random House grew rapidly during the war. Sales reached the million dollar mark in 1941 and exceeded three million dollars by 1946. Many new titles were published in smaller printings than demand would have justified and were out of stock for extended periods before they could be reprinted. The psychological uncertainties and dislocations of wartime affected the kinds of books that were in demand. Sales of philosophy and poetry increased at a disproportionate rate. The Oracles of Nostradamus, published two months after Pearl Harbor, became one of the Modern Library's best-selling titles. Shortly after the war ended the Modern Library became embroiled in a censorship controversy involving the removal of poems by Ezra Pound from a Modern Library poetry anthology.

In literate societies, publication is a major mode of the dissemination of knowledge. Far from being a neutral middleman in this process, the publisher influences both the production and consumption of intellectual works. The publisher forms an important part of the institutional setting in which authorship takes place. By commissioning authors to write some works, and through his influence at the editorial stage, the publisher influences the content of what is written. The publisher acts as a gatekeeper, determining which works will be made available to the public. He oversees the reproduction of works in multiple copies, determining the kind of book which is made from a work. Although normally not responsible for the distribution of books to consumers, the publisher plays a role in distribution both across geographical space and to different groups of readers. Through his role at the stages of production, assessment, reproduction and distribution, the publisher influences the consumption of knowledge. However, consumers also influence the publisher, and the publisher's decisions are made in light of his conception of the audience.

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