As 1944's last days ran out, the supply of new books dwindled to a trickle. Paper-starved publishers, awaiting their 1945 quotas, resorted to some extraordinary expedients to keep their books in print:
¶ Simon & Schuster ran out of paper after Bob Hope's I Never Left Home had sold almost 1,500,000 copies. They sold reprint rights to the Home Guide Publishing Co., will collect royalties on future printings.
¶ With no more paper available for Lillian Smith's Strange Fruit (500,000 copies), Reynal & Hitchcock are now issuing red and green certificates, at $2.75 each, entitling the holder to a copy early...