Friends of PUL Small Talk: "A Librarian's War" with Molly Guptill Manning
Molly Guptill Manning returns to the Friends on Thursday, December 3 with a new tale about Ray Trautman, the librarian behind the “Armed Services Editions” that brought nearly half a billion wallet-sized paperbacks and miniature magazines to American troops during World War II. Trautman fought relentlessly for this idea that he believed would inspire troops and boost morale, going against military leaders at the time. In the decades after the war, Trautman focused on promoting literacy and access to books across the country.
New York Times bestselling author, professor, and lawyer Manning argues no one made a larger contribution to literacy in America than Trautman and will share his untold story with the Friends.
Note: Location to be confirmed
- Date:
- Thursday, December 3, 2026
- Time:
- 5:00pm - 6:00pm
- Audience:
- Friends of Princeton University Library Member of the Public Princeton Faculty/Researcher Princeton Graduate Students Princeton Undergraduate Students Student Friends of Princeton University Library
- Categories:
- Friends of the Princeton University Library Event
About the presenter
Molly Guptill Manning is a historian, curator, law professor, and a New York Times bestselling author. Her books include A Librarian’s War, When Books Went to War, The War of Words, and The Myth of Ephraim Tutt. She gives talks across the United States about the importance of books to democracy, and curates museum exhibits that showcase the essential role that books, magazines, and newspapers played in World War II.
Molly earned a B.A. and M.A. in American history from the University at Albany, a J.D. at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and an M.A. in Museum Studies from NYU.
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This event is part of the Friends of the Princeton University Library Small Talks Series.
View recordings of previous events.
Join the Friends of the Princeton University Library. Friends receive a newsletter, two issues of the Princeton University Library Chronicle, and are invited to participate in a variety of activities and events, including exhibition openings, lectures and talks, gala dinners, workshops on topics such as preservation, bookbinding, and print collecting.
To request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact pulcomm@princeton.edu at least 3 working days in advance.